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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. False peace will not ________________.
  2. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  3. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  4. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  5. I'll be taking the ________________.
  6. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  7. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  8. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  9. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  10. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  11. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  12. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  13. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  14. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  15. The tickets are free of ________________.
  16. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  17. We're on a ________________ here.
  18. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  19. Have you settled on a ________________?
  20. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  21. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  22. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  23. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  24. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.

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

Answer key

  1. last — to go on
  2. tube — in a tire
  3. roll — a cake
  4. tube — a container
  5. tube — the underground
  6. cue — a hint
  7. bowl — a dish
  8. charge — in control
  9. roll — a list
  10. date — the fruit
  11. firm — a company
  12. bowl — a football final
  13. cue — for pool
  14. firm — steady
  15. charge — a price
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. roll — on a roll
  18. last — finally
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. firm — decided
  21. bowl — to roll
  22. charge — electricity
  23. last — final
  24. cue — a signal

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