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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. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  3. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  4. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  5. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  6. I'll be taking the ________________.
  7. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  8. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  9. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  10. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  11. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  12. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  13. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  14. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  15. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  16. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  17. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  18. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  19. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  20. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  21. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  22. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  23. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  24. We're on a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. leaves — to go away
  3. content — happy
  4. tube — in a tire
  5. bowl — a dish
  6. tube — the underground
  7. leaves — of a tree
  8. cue — a hint
  9. cue — a signal
  10. cabinet — a cupboard
  11. content — the amount
  12. band — a music group
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. cue — for pool
  15. roll — a list
  16. roll — a cake
  17. bowl — a football final
  18. band — a rubber band
  19. leaves — lets stay
  20. tube — a container
  21. content — videos and posts
  22. bowl — to roll
  23. band — a ring
  24. roll — on a roll

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