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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. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  2. I'll be taking the ________________.
  3. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  4. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  5. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  6. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  7. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  8. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  9. That was a fun ________________.
  10. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  11. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  12. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  13. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  14. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  15. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  16. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  17. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  18. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  19. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  20. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  21. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  22. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  23. That was ________________ to happen.
  24. He hit the ball with his ________________.

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. racket — for tennis
  4. tube — in a tire
  5. bowl — a dish
  6. bowl — a football final
  7. snap — to snap out of it
  8. row — a line
  9. game — a match
  10. bound — tied together
  11. row — to paddle
  12. bound — obliged
  13. pass — a permit
  14. pass — to spend time
  15. row — a quarrel
  16. bowl — to roll
  17. game — wild animals
  18. snap — to speak sharply
  19. pass — to succeed
  20. racket — a loud noise
  21. snap — to click
  22. game — a kind of play
  23. bound — certain
  24. racket — for tennis

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