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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. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  2. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  3. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  4. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  5. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  6. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  7. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  8. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  9. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  10. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  11. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  12. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  13. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  14. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  15. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  16. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  17. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  18. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  19. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  20. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  21. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  22. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  23. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  24. I'll be taking the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — to roll
  2. band — a ring
  3. file — a line of people
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. band — a rubber band
  6. capital — money
  7. tube — in a tire
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. mouse — for a computer
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. tube — a container
  12. squash — the vegetable
  13. capital — a city
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. bowl — a dish
  16. file — a tool
  17. squash — the sport
  18. band — a music group
  19. capital — a big letter
  20. squash — to crush
  21. file — a document
  22. bowl — a football final
  23. calf — of the leg
  24. tube — the underground

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