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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. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  3. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  4. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  5. The King held a masked ________________.
  6. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  7. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  8. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  9. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  10. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  11. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  12. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  13. He is an ace ________________.
  14. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  15. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  16. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  17. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  18. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  19. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  20. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  21. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  22. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  23. I'll be taking the ________________.
  24. He hit the ball with his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — a container
  2. capital — a big letter
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. bowl — to roll
  5. ball — a dance
  6. tube — in a tire
  7. ball — a great time
  8. shower — to wash
  9. bowl — a dish
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. cue — for pool
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. pitcher — in baseball
  14. cue — a hint
  15. shower — a meteor shower
  16. bowl — a football final
  17. capital — a city
  18. capital — money
  19. shower — rain
  20. ball — a round shape
  21. cue — a signal
  22. racket — a loud noise
  23. tube — the underground
  24. racket — for tennis

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