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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 116 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. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  3. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  4. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  5. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  6. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  7. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  8. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  9. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  10. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  11. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  12. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  13. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  14. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  15. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  16. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  17. That must've been a ________________.
  18. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  19. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  20. That was a fun ________________.
  21. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  22. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  23. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  24. The old man leaned on his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — the underground
  2. rush — hurry
  3. game — a kind of play
  4. game — wild animals
  5. tube — a container
  6. pass — a permit
  7. content — happy
  8. tube — in a tire
  9. bowl — to roll
  10. staff — employees
  11. content — videos and posts
  12. pass — to spend time
  13. row — a line
  14. rush — to hurry
  15. staff — employees
  16. bowl — a football final
  17. rush — a thrill
  18. content — the amount
  19. bowl — a dish
  20. game — a match
  21. pass — to succeed
  22. row — to paddle
  23. row — a quarrel
  24. staff — a stick

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