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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. You don't need to ________________ round.
  2. We're almost out of ________________.
  3. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  4. That was a fun ________________.
  5. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  6. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  7. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  8. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  9. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  10. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  11. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  12. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  13. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  14. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  15. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  16. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  17. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  18. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  19. The water is too ________________.
  20. I'll be taking the ________________.
  21. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  22. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  23. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  24. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — to visit
  2. pop — soda
  3. tube — a container
  4. game — a match
  5. fine — high quality
  6. cold — an illness
  7. cold — the Cold War
  8. dip — to sink
  9. dip — a sauce
  10. fine — all right
  11. tube — in a tire
  12. current — happening now
  13. game — a kind of play
  14. fine — a penalty
  15. pop — music
  16. deal — a big deal
  17. current — of water
  18. dip — to dunk
  19. cold — not warm
  20. tube — the underground
  21. deal — to handle
  22. game — wild animals
  23. current — electric
  24. deal — an agreement

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