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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. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  2. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  3. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  4. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  5. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  6. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  7. I'll be taking the ________________.
  8. Have you settled on a ________________?
  9. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  10. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  11. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  12. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  13. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  14. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  15. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  16. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  17. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  18. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  19. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  20. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  21. David sat on the ________________.
  22. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  23. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  24. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — for baseball
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. ruler — a monarch
  4. ruler — for measuring
  5. tube — a container
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. tube — the underground
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. trunk — of a car
  10. swing — music
  11. capital — money
  12. capital — a big letter
  13. mouse — for a computer
  14. tube — in a tire
  15. trunk — of a tree
  16. capital — a city
  17. trunk — of an elephant
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. bat — in an idiom
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. swing — to play on
  22. swing — in golf
  23. date — the fruit
  24. bat — the animal

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