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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. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  2. I'll be taking the ________________.
  3. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  4. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  5. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  6. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  7. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  8. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  9. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  10. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  11. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  12. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  13. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  14. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  15. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  16. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  17. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  18. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  19. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  20. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  21. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  22. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  23. Have you met the new head ________________?
  24. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — music
  2. tube — the underground
  3. cap — a hat
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. deal — to handle
  7. coach — pulled by horses
  8. rock — a stone
  9. deal — a big deal
  10. deal — an agreement
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. march — the month
  13. march — music
  14. mouse — for a computer
  15. tube — in a tire
  16. pound — for dogs
  17. pound — to hit hard
  18. march — the month
  19. rock — to move gently
  20. cap — of ice
  21. cap — a lid
  22. pound — a weight
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. tube — a container

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