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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 120 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 need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  2. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  3. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  4. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  5. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  6. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  7. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  8. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  9. I'll be taking the ________________.
  10. The ________________ went through the wall.
  11. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  12. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  13. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  14. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  15. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  16. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  17. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  18. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  19. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  20. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  21. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  22. My mare is ________________ in color.
  23. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  24. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — in a tire
  2. bass — low music
  3. tube — a container
  4. bass — the fish
  5. drill — the tool
  6. squash — to crush
  7. squash — the vegetable
  8. bear — the animal
  9. tube — the underground
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. bay — to keep at bay
  12. squash — the sport
  13. march — the month
  14. drill — army training
  15. drill — a practice
  16. march — music
  17. bear — to put up with
  18. nail — on a finger
  19. march — the month
  20. bear — the animal
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. bay — a horse colour
  23. bass — the instrument
  24. bay — a part of the sea

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