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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. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  2. I'll be taking the ________________.
  3. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  4. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  5. That was a fun ________________.
  6. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  7. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  8. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  9. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  10. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  11. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  12. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  13. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  14. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  15. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  16. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  17. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  18. David sat on the ________________.
  19. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  20. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  21. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  22. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  23. He was locked up in a ________________.
  24. Have you met the new head ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. tube — a container
  2. tube — the underground
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. cue — for pool
  5. game — a match
  6. swing — music
  7. bass — the fish
  8. cue — a signal
  9. tube — in a tire
  10. cell — a phone
  11. foot — the bottom
  12. coach — pulled by horses
  13. swing — in golf
  14. game — a kind of play
  15. cue — a hint
  16. bass — low music
  17. game — wild animals
  18. swing — to play on
  19. cell — in biology
  20. foot — part of the body
  21. foot — a measure
  22. bass — the instrument
  23. cell — in a prison
  24. coach — a trainer

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