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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. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  2. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  3. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  4. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  5. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  6. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  7. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  8. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  9. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  10. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  11. My father caught me by the ________________.
  12. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  13. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  14. What do you think of the new ________________?
  15. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  16. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  17. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  18. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  19. I'll be taking the ________________.
  20. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  21. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  22. The tickets are free of ________________.
  23. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  24. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — to wash
  2. tube — in a tire
  3. content — happy
  4. shower — rain
  5. charge — electricity
  6. shower — a meteor shower
  7. cap — of ice
  8. tube — a container
  9. band — a music group
  10. band — a ring
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. band — a rubber band
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. content — the amount
  16. arm — a part of something
  17. cabinet — a cupboard
  18. content — videos and posts
  19. tube — the underground
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. cap — a lid
  22. charge — a price
  23. cap — a hat
  24. charge — in control

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