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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 120 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. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  2. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  3. He is an ace ________________.
  4. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  5. I'll be taking the ________________.
  6. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  7. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  8. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  9. We're almost out of ________________.
  10. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  11. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  12. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  13. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  14. You don't need to ________________ round.
  15. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  16. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  17. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  18. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  19. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  20. David sat on the ________________.
  21. He was locked up in a ________________.
  22. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  23. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  24. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — before a funeral
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. pitcher — in baseball
  4. swing — music
  5. tube — the underground
  6. wake — a trail
  7. can — a tin
  8. can — to be able to
  9. pop — soda
  10. wake — to stop sleeping
  11. pop — music
  12. tube — a container
  13. cell — a phone
  14. pop — to visit
  15. swing — in golf
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. hide — animal skin
  19. can — a tin
  20. swing — to play on
  21. cell — in a prison
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. cell — in biology
  24. tube — in a tire

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