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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. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  3. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  4. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  5. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  6. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  7. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  8. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  9. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  10. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  11. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  12. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  13. Have you settled on a ________________?
  14. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  15. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  16. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  17. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  18. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  19. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  20. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  21. I'll be taking the ________________.
  22. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  23. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  24. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — an explosive
  2. scale — size or range
  3. scale — in music
  4. trunk — of a car
  5. toast — a drink to someone
  6. scale — for weighing
  7. deal — a big deal
  8. tube — in a tire
  9. file — a document
  10. trunk — of a tree
  11. file — a line of people
  12. deal — to handle
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. trunk — of an elephant
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. deal — an agreement
  17. mine — for digging
  18. toast — bread
  19. file — a tool
  20. date — the fruit
  21. tube — the underground
  22. tube — a container
  23. mine — belonging to me
  24. toast — the most admired

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