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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 want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  2. The tickets are free of ________________.
  3. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  4. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  5. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  6. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  7. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  8. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  9. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  10. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  11. I'll be taking the ________________.
  12. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  13. The King held a masked ________________.
  14. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  15. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  16. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  17. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  18. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  19. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  20. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  21. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  22. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  23. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  24. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — a container
  2. charge — a price
  3. ball — a round shape
  4. scale — in music
  5. wind — moving air
  6. craft — a skill
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. wind — moving air
  9. bass — the fish
  10. craft — boats
  11. tube — the underground
  12. charge — electricity
  13. ball — a dance
  14. hide — animal skin
  15. bass — low music
  16. charge — in control
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. wind — to turn a key
  19. craft — a handicraft
  20. bass — the instrument
  21. scale — for weighing
  22. scale — size or range
  23. ball — a great time
  24. tube — in a tire

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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