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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. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  2. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  3. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  4. I'll be taking the ________________.
  5. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  6. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  7. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  8. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  9. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  10. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  11. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  12. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  13. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  14. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  15. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  16. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  17. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  18. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  19. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  20. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  21. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  22. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  23. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  24. She got the top ________________ in the exam.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — a container
  2. bass — low music
  3. straw — to clutch at straws
  4. tube — the underground
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. bass — the fish
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. straw — dry grass
  10. field — farmland
  11. mark — to pay attention
  12. calf — of the leg
  13. field — a subject
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. tube — in a tire
  16. fan — to cool the air
  17. straw — a straw man
  18. stick — to attach or keep to
  19. field — for sport
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. mark — a trace
  22. bass — the instrument
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. mark — a grade

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