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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 124 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'll be taking the ________________.
  2. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  3. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  4. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  5. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  6. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  7. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  8. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  9. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  10. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  11. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  12. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  13. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  14. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  15. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  16. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  17. You don't need to ________________ round.
  18. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  19. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  20. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  21. That was ________________ to happen.
  22. We're almost out of ________________.
  23. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  24. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — the underground
  2. trunk — of an elephant
  3. scale — in music
  4. fine — all right
  5. bear — the animal
  6. bound — obliged
  7. fine — high quality
  8. pitch — completely
  9. trunk — of a car
  10. fine — a penalty
  11. bear — the animal
  12. scale — for weighing
  13. bear — to put up with
  14. bound — tied together
  15. pop — music
  16. tube — a container
  17. pop — to visit
  18. tube — in a tire
  19. pitch — a sales talk
  20. trunk — of a tree
  21. bound — certain
  22. pop — soda
  23. pitch — a sports field
  24. scale — size or range

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