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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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Word bank
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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. That must've been a ________________.
  2. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  3. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  4. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  5. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  6. I'll be taking the ________________.
  7. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  8. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  9. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  10. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  11. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  12. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  13. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  14. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  15. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  16. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  17. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  18. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  19. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  20. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  21. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  22. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  23. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  24. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — a thrill
  2. rush — hurry
  3. rush — to hurry
  4. pit — a fruit stone
  5. bear — to put up with
  6. tube — the underground
  7. rock — a stone
  8. pit — in a race
  9. root — the cause
  10. club — for dancing
  11. rock — to move gently
  12. bear — the animal
  13. club — for golf
  14. bat — in an idiom
  15. pit — a hole
  16. root — of a plant
  17. bat — for baseball
  18. tube — a container
  19. root — of a word
  20. rock — music
  21. bear — the animal
  22. club — a group
  23. bat — the animal
  24. tube — in a tire

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