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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. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  3. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  4. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  5. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  6. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  7. That was a fun ________________.
  8. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  9. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  10. You don't need to ________________ round.
  11. I'll be taking the ________________.
  12. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  13. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  14. We're almost out of ________________.
  15. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  16. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  17. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  18. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  19. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  20. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  21. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  22. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  23. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  24. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — a container
  2. pop — music
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. game — a kind of play
  5. tube — in a tire
  6. bass — the fish
  7. game — a match
  8. dip — to sink
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. pop — to visit
  11. tube — the underground
  12. bark — a dog's sound
  13. vault — in gymnastics
  14. pop — soda
  15. dip — to dunk
  16. perch — the fish
  17. vault — an arched ceiling
  18. bass — low music
  19. dip — a sauce
  20. game — wild animals
  21. bark — of a tree
  22. vault — a safe
  23. bass — the instrument
  24. bark — to shout

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