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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'll be taking the ________________.
  2. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  3. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  4. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  5. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  6. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  9. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  10. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  11. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  12. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  13. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  14. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  15. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  18. Did you ________________ the meat?
  19. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  20. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  21. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  22. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  23. There's no middle ________________.
  24. Should I buy a wireless ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. tube — the underground
  2. season — in sport
  3. shower — to wash
  4. season — of the year
  5. net — after costs
  6. ground — crushed
  7. net — for catching
  8. tube — a container
  9. rule — government
  10. tube — in a tire
  11. ground — the earth
  12. band — a ring
  13. rule — to rule out
  14. shower — rain
  15. shower — a meteor shower
  16. net — in sport
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. season — to add flavour
  19. band — a rubber band
  20. rule — a law
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. band — a music group
  23. ground — a position
  24. mouse — for a computer

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