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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 want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  2. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. Have you found your soul ________________?
  4. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  5. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  6. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  7. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  8. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  9. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  10. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  11. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  12. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  13. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  14. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  15. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  16. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  17. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  18. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  19. I'll be taking the ________________.
  20. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  21. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  22. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  23. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  24. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — a container
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. mate — a partner
  4. cue — a hint
  5. net — for catching
  6. cue — for pool
  7. bowl — a dish
  8. fork — to eat with
  9. mate — a friend
  10. cue — a signal
  11. fork — in a road
  12. net — in sport
  13. bowl — a football final
  14. mate — to breed
  15. season — in sport
  16. scale — size or range
  17. bowl — to roll
  18. fork — a garden tool
  19. tube — the underground
  20. scale — in music
  21. scale — for weighing
  22. net — after costs
  23. season — of the year
  24. tube — in a tire

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