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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. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  3. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  4. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  5. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  6. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  7. Have you settled on a ________________?
  8. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  9. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  10. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  11. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  12. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  13. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  14. I'll be taking the ________________.
  15. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  16. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  17. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  18. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  19. That was a fun ________________.
  20. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  21. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  22. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  23. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  24. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — a container
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. mine — belonging to me
  4. bass — the instrument
  5. game — a kind of play
  6. bass — low music
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. tube — in a tire
  9. date — the fruit
  10. stick — to attach or keep to
  11. vault — a safe
  12. vault — in gymnastics
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. tube — the underground
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. vault — an arched ceiling
  17. perch — the fish
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. game — a match
  20. bass — the fish
  21. mine — an explosive
  22. game — wild animals
  23. mine — for digging
  24. perch — for a bird

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