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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 120 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. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  3. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  4. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  5. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  6. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  7. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  8. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  9. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  10. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  11. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  12. I'll be taking the ________________.
  13. Don't do anything ________________.
  14. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  15. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  16. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  17. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  18. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  19. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  20. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  21. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  22. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  23. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  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. tube — a container
  2. pass — to succeed
  3. fall — to drop
  4. dip — to sink
  5. dip — to dunk
  6. rash — on the skin
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. racket — a loud noise
  9. fall — the season
  10. rash — a series
  11. dip — a sauce
  12. tube — the underground
  13. rash — hasty
  14. squash — to crush
  15. bear — to put up with
  16. bear — the animal
  17. tube — in a tire
  18. squash — the sport
  19. squash — the vegetable
  20. fall — to drop
  21. bear — the animal
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. pass — to spend time
  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