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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. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  2. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  3. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  4. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  5. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  6. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  7. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  8. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  9. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  10. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  11. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  12. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  13. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  14. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  15. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  16. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  17. That was a fun ________________.
  18. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  19. That must've been a ________________.
  20. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  21. I'll be taking the ________________.
  22. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  23. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  24. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — a box
  2. craft — boats
  3. fall — to drop
  4. chest — of your body
  5. fall — the season
  6. tube — in a tire
  7. bowl — a dish
  8. bowl — a football final
  9. tube — a container
  10. craft — a handicraft
  11. rush — hurry
  12. fall — to drop
  13. game — a kind of play
  14. chest — of your body
  15. bowl — to roll
  16. game — wild animals
  17. game — a match
  18. pound — for dogs
  19. rush — a thrill
  20. pound — a weight
  21. tube — the underground
  22. craft — a skill
  23. rush — to hurry
  24. pound — to hit hard

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