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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. What do you think of the new ________________?
  2. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  3. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  4. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  5. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  6. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  7. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  8. We're almost out of ________________.
  9. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  10. I'll be taking the ________________.
  11. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  12. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  13. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  14. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  15. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  16. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  17. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  18. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  19. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  20. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  21. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  22. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  23. You don't need to ________________ round.
  24. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. pop — music
  3. squash — to crush
  4. tube — a container
  5. pass — to spend time
  6. pass — to succeed
  7. tube — in a tire
  8. pop — soda
  9. wave — of the sea
  10. tube — the underground
  11. squash — the sport
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. squash — the vegetable
  14. fork — in a road
  15. face — to confront
  16. fork — to eat with
  17. wave — with your hand
  18. face — to point toward
  19. fork — a garden tool
  20. face — part of the head
  21. pass — a permit
  22. cabinet — a cupboard
  23. pop — to visit
  24. wave — a sudden rise

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