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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. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  2. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  3. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  4. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  5. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  6. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  7. I'll be taking the ________________.
  8. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  9. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  10. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  11. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  12. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  13. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  14. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  15. Have you met the new head ________________?
  16. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  17. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  18. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  19. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  20. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  21. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  22. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  23. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  24. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. march — music
  3. bat — in an idiom
  4. tube — in a tire
  5. bat — the animal
  6. cue — a hint
  7. tube — the underground
  8. mouse — for a computer
  9. coach — pulled by horses
  10. bat — for baseball
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. lean — to rest against
  13. cue — for pool
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. cue — a signal
  18. fan — to cool the air
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. lean — to bend
  21. lean — thin
  22. march — the month
  23. march — the month
  24. tube — a container

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