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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. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  2. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  3. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  4. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  5. We're almost out of ________________.
  6. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  7. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  8. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  9. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  10. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  11. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  12. You don't need to ________________ round.
  13. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  14. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  15. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  16. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  17. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  18. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  19. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  20. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  21. That was a fun ________________.
  22. I'll be taking the ________________.
  23. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  24. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?

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

Answer key

  1. scale — size or range
  2. tube — a container
  3. game — wild animals
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. pop — soda
  6. pop — music
  7. cap — a hat
  8. lie — to recline
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. scale — in music
  11. straw — a straw man
  12. pop — to visit
  13. safe — a strongbox
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. cap — of ice
  16. straw — dry grass
  17. tube — in a tire
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. straw — to clutch at straws
  20. scale — for weighing
  21. game — a match
  22. tube — the underground
  23. game — a kind of play
  24. cap — a lid

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