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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. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  3. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  4. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  5. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  6. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  7. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  8. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  9. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  10. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  11. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  12. Have you found your soul ________________?
  13. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  14. That was a fun ________________.
  15. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  16. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  17. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  18. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  19. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  20. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  21. The tickets are free of ________________.
  22. He was locked up in a ________________.
  23. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  24. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — the underground
  2. tube — in a tire
  3. cell — in biology
  4. tube — a container
  5. mate — a friend
  6. wake — a trail
  7. cap — of ice
  8. game — a kind of play
  9. charge — electricity
  10. bass — the fish
  11. wake — before a funeral
  12. mate — a partner
  13. mate — to breed
  14. game — a match
  15. bass — low music
  16. cap — a hat
  17. bass — the instrument
  18. wake — to stop sleeping
  19. charge — in control
  20. cap — a lid
  21. charge — a price
  22. cell — in a prison
  23. cell — a phone
  24. game — wild animals

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