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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. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  2. He is an ace ________________.
  3. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  4. The King held a masked ________________.
  5. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  6. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  7. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  8. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  9. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  10. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  11. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  12. You don't need to ________________ round.
  13. False peace will not ________________.
  14. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  15. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  16. I'll be taking the ________________.
  17. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  18. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  19. That must've been a ________________.
  20. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  21. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  22. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  23. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  24. We're almost out of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a round shape
  2. pitcher — in baseball
  3. chip — in a computer
  4. ball — a dance
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. last — final
  7. band — a rubber band
  8. ball — a great time
  9. tube — in a tire
  10. pop — music
  11. rush — hurry
  12. pop — to visit
  13. last — to go on
  14. tube — a container
  15. last — finally
  16. tube — the underground
  17. chip — for betting
  18. band — a music group
  19. rush — a thrill
  20. chip — to eat
  21. rush — to hurry
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. band — a ring
  24. pop — soda

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