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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'll be taking the ________________.
  2. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  3. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  4. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  5. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  6. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  7. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  8. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  9. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  10. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  11. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  12. He was locked up in a ________________.
  13. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  14. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  15. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  16. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  17. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  18. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  19. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  20. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  21. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  22. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  23. We're on a ________________ here.
  24. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!

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

Answer key

  1. tube — the underground
  2. bat — the animal
  3. jam — a tight spot
  4. roll — a cake
  5. tube — a container
  6. bat — for baseball
  7. bear — the animal
  8. drill — the tool
  9. jam — in traffic
  10. drill — army training
  11. bear — the animal
  12. cell — in a prison
  13. cell — in biology
  14. jam — to spread on bread
  15. drill — a practice
  16. tube — in a tire
  17. pit — in a race
  18. pit — a fruit stone
  19. bat — in an idiom
  20. roll — a list
  21. pit — a hole
  22. cell — a phone
  23. roll — on a roll
  24. bear — to put up with

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