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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. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  3. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  4. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  5. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  6. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  7. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  8. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  9. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  10. I'll be taking the ________________.
  11. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  12. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  13. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  14. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  15. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  16. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  17. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  18. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  19. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  20. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  21. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  22. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  23. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  24. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. chest — of your body
  3. tube — a container
  4. capital — a big letter
  5. cue — a hint
  6. shower — a meteor shower
  7. fine — high quality
  8. capital — a city
  9. shower — to wash
  10. tube — the underground
  11. cue — a signal
  12. cabinet — a cupboard
  13. capital — money
  14. face — to confront
  15. face — to point toward
  16. fine — all right
  17. chest — of your body
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. face — part of the head
  20. cue — for pool
  21. shower — rain
  22. fine — a penalty
  23. tube — in a tire
  24. chest — a box

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