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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. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  3. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  4. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  5. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  6. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  7. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  8. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  9. She's very handy with a ________________.
  10. He works in a ________________ mill.
  11. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  12. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  13. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  14. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  15. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  16. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  17. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  18. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  19. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  20. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  21. I'll be taking the ________________.
  22. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  23. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  24. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — a container
  2. safe — a strongbox
  3. mark — to pay attention
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. row — to paddle
  6. band — a ring
  7. mark — a grade
  8. jam — to spread on bread
  9. saw — the tool
  10. saw — the tool
  11. scale — for weighing
  12. saw — past of 'see'
  13. jam — in traffic
  14. row — a line
  15. scale — size or range
  16. tube — in a tire
  17. scale — in music
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. mark — a trace
  20. jam — a tight spot
  21. tube — the underground
  22. band — a music group
  23. row — a quarrel
  24. band — a rubber band

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