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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. Have you settled on a ________________?
  2. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  3. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  4. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  5. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  6. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  7. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  8. That was a fun ________________.
  9. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. I'll be taking the ________________.
  12. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  13. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  14. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  15. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  16. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  17. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  18. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  19. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  20. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  21. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  22. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  23. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  24. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. date — on the calendar
  2. rock — music
  3. tube — in a tire
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. fall — to drop
  6. tube — a container
  7. wax — to grow
  8. game — a match
  9. deal — to handle
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. tube — the underground
  12. safe — a strongbox
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. wax — in the ear
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. deal — an agreement
  17. rock — a stone
  18. fall — the season
  19. wax — for sculpting
  20. fall — to drop
  21. deal — a big deal
  22. rock — to move gently
  23. date — the fruit
  24. game — wild animals

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