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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. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  2. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  3. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  4. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  5. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  6. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  7. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  8. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  9. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  10. What do you think of the new ________________?
  11. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  12. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  13. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  14. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  15. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  16. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  17. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  18. I'll be taking the ________________.
  19. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  20. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  21. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  22. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  23. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  24. Have you found your soul ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. spring — the season
  2. kid — to tease
  3. tube — a container
  4. mate — a friend
  5. cabinet — a cupboard
  6. tube — in a tire
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. racket — a loud noise
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. stick — to attach or keep to
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. cue — a signal
  17. spring — a coil
  18. tube — the underground
  19. spring — of water
  20. mate — to breed
  21. cue — a hint
  22. kid — child
  23. cue — for pool
  24. mate — a partner

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