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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. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  2. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  3. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  4. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  5. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  6. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  7. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  10. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  11. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  12. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  13. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  14. You don't need to ________________ round.
  15. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  16. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  17. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  18. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  19. We're almost out of ________________.
  20. We're on a ________________ here.
  21. I'll be taking the ________________.
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  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. tube — a container
  2. pop — music
  3. bear — the animal
  4. fork — a garden tool
  5. fork — to eat with
  6. club — for golf
  7. club — a group
  8. net — in sport
  9. snap — to snap out of it
  10. roll — a list
  11. bear — to put up with
  12. net — after costs
  13. roll — a cake
  14. pop — to visit
  15. snap — to speak sharply
  16. club — for dancing
  17. bear — the animal
  18. fork — in a road
  19. pop — soda
  20. roll — on a roll
  21. tube — the underground
  22. net — for catching
  23. snap — to click
  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