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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. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  2. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  3. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  4. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  5. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  6. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  7. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  8. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  9. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  10. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  11. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  12. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  13. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  14. I'll be taking the ________________.
  15. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  16. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  17. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  18. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  19. That must've been a ________________.
  20. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  21. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  22. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  23. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  24. You can't go backstage without a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — low music
  2. tube — in a tire
  3. shower — rain
  4. file — a line of people
  5. bear — the animal
  6. tube — a container
  7. mark — to pay attention
  8. mark — a trace
  9. bear — to put up with
  10. bass — the fish
  11. shower — a meteor shower
  12. file — a document
  13. file — a tool
  14. tube — the underground
  15. bass — the instrument
  16. pass — to spend time
  17. mark — a grade
  18. pass — to succeed
  19. rush — a thrill
  20. bear — the animal
  21. shower — to wash
  22. rush — to hurry
  23. rush — hurry
  24. pass — a permit

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