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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. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  2. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  3. We're almost out of ________________.
  4. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  5. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  6. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  7. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  8. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  9. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  10. That was a fun ________________.
  11. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  12. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  13. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  14. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  15. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  16. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  17. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  18. When will it ________________ you to start?
  19. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  20. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  21. I'll be taking the ________________.
  22. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  23. You don't need to ________________ round.
  24. ________________ you help me carry this box?

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

Answer key

  1. club — for dancing
  2. tube — a container
  3. pop — soda
  4. spring — a coil
  5. can — a tin
  6. foot — a measure
  7. suit — clothes
  8. can — a tin
  9. game — a kind of play
  10. game — a match
  11. tube — in a tire
  12. foot — part of the body
  13. foot — the bottom
  14. spring — of water
  15. club — a group
  16. spring — the season
  17. suit — in cards
  18. suit — to fit
  19. game — wild animals
  20. pop — music
  21. tube — the underground
  22. club — for golf
  23. pop — to visit
  24. can — to be able to

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