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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 116 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. The King held a masked ________________.
  2. That must've been a ________________.
  3. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  4. I'll be taking the ________________.
  5. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  6. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  7. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  8. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  9. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  10. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  11. The water is too ________________.
  12. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  13. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  14. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  15. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  16. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  17. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  18. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  19. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  20. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  21. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  22. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  23. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  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. ball — a dance
  2. rush — a thrill
  3. ball — a round shape
  4. tube — the underground
  5. pound — a weight
  6. craft — a skill
  7. craft — boats
  8. rush — to hurry
  9. ball — a great time
  10. pound — for dogs
  11. cold — not warm
  12. stem — to come from
  13. stem — of a plant
  14. rule — government
  15. rush — hurry
  16. cold — an illness
  17. tube — a container
  18. rule — to rule out
  19. rule — a law
  20. cold — the Cold War
  21. craft — a handicraft
  22. pound — to hit hard
  23. stem — a stem cell
  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