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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. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  2. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  3. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  4. The tickets are free of ________________.
  5. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  6. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  7. I'll be taking the ________________.
  8. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  9. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  10. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  11. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  12. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  13. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  14. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  15. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  16. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  17. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  18. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  19. Have you found your soul ________________?
  20. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  21. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  22. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  23. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  24. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. tube — in a tire
  3. file — a line of people
  4. charge — a price
  5. mate — to breed
  6. file — a tool
  7. tube — the underground
  8. bass — low music
  9. net — for catching
  10. tube — a container
  11. bass — the instrument
  12. net — after costs
  13. charge — electricity
  14. mate — a friend
  15. wake — to stop sleeping
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. charge — in control
  18. net — in sport
  19. mate — a partner
  20. file — a document
  21. wake — a trail
  22. stick — to attach or keep to
  23. bass — the fish
  24. wake — before a funeral

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