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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'll be taking the ________________.
  2. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  3. My father caught me by the ________________.
  4. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  5. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  6. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  7. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  8. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  9. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  10. We're almost out of ________________.
  11. You don't need to ________________ round.
  12. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  13. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  14. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  15. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  16. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  17. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  18. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  19. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  20. It's one o'clock ________________.
  21. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  22. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  23. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  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 — the underground
  2. pop — music
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. band — a ring
  5. tube — a container
  6. safe — out of danger
  7. arm — a part of something
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. pop — soda
  11. pop — to visit
  12. sharp — clever
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. spring — a coil
  15. sharp — with an edge
  16. band — a music group
  17. spring — of water
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. spring — the season
  20. sharp — exactly
  21. hide — animal skin
  22. tube — in a tire
  23. safe — a strongbox
  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