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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. He works in a ________________ mill.
  3. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  4. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  5. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  6. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  7. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  8. Have you settled on a ________________?
  9. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  10. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  11. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  12. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  13. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  14. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  15. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  16. I'll be taking the ________________.
  17. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  18. She's very handy with a ________________.
  19. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  20. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  21. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  22. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  23. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  24. The tickets are free of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — a container
  2. saw — the tool
  3. spring — the season
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. jam — a tight spot
  6. bat — for baseball
  7. jam — to spread on bread
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. spring — a coil
  11. saw — past of 'see'
  12. perch — the fish
  13. jam — in traffic
  14. bat — in an idiom
  15. tube — in a tire
  16. tube — the underground
  17. bat — the animal
  18. saw — the tool
  19. date — the fruit
  20. charge — in control
  21. spring — of water
  22. charge — electricity
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. charge — a price

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