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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 116 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  2. I'll be taking the ________________.
  3. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  4. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  5. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  6. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  7. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  8. You don't need to ________________ round.
  9. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  10. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  11. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  12. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  13. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  14. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  15. We're almost out of ________________.
  16. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  17. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  18. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  19. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  20. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  21. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  22. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  23. Don't do anything ________________.
  24. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. tube — a container
  2. tube — the underground
  3. bass — the fish
  4. content — happy
  5. rash — a series
  6. fall — to drop
  7. scale — size or range
  8. pop — to visit
  9. content — videos and posts
  10. scale — for weighing
  11. fall — to drop
  12. fall — the season
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. scale — in music
  15. pop — soda
  16. racket — a loud noise
  17. pop — music
  18. bass — the instrument
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. content — the amount
  21. tube — in a tire
  22. rash — on the skin
  23. rash — hasty
  24. bass — low music

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com