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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. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  2. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  3. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  4. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  5. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  6. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  7. The King held a masked ________________.
  8. I'll be taking the ________________.
  9. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  10. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  11. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  12. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  13. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  14. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  15. We're on a ________________ here.
  16. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  17. Did you ________________ the meat?
  18. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  19. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  20. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  21. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  22. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  23. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  24. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — a container
  2. pound — to hit hard
  3. roll — a list
  4. stick — to attach or keep to
  5. net — for catching
  6. tube — in a tire
  7. ball — a dance
  8. tube — the underground
  9. bat — for baseball
  10. pound — for dogs
  11. pound — a weight
  12. season — in sport
  13. season — of the year
  14. bat — the animal
  15. roll — on a roll
  16. net — after costs
  17. season — to add flavour
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. ball — a great time
  20. net — in sport
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. ball — a round shape
  23. bat — in an idiom
  24. roll — a cake

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