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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. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  2. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  3. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  4. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  5. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  6. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  7. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  8. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  9. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  10. Have you settled on a ________________?
  11. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  12. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  13. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  14. False peace will not ________________.
  15. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  16. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  17. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  18. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  19. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  20. I'll be taking the ________________.
  21. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  22. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  23. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  24. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. tube — a container
  3. rock — a stone
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. tube — in a tire
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. bowl — a football final
  8. dip — to dunk
  9. fan — to cool the air
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. bowl — a dish
  12. last — final
  13. wound — an injury
  14. last — to go on
  15. last — finally
  16. dip — a sauce
  17. date — the fruit
  18. bowl — to roll
  19. dip — to sink
  20. tube — the underground
  21. rock — music
  22. wound — past of 'wind'
  23. rock — to move gently
  24. date — on the calendar

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