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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 want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  2. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  3. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  4. The ________________ market has crashed.
  5. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  6. When will it ________________ you to start?
  7. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  8. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  9. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  10. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  11. I'll be taking the ________________.
  12. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  13. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  14. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  15. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  16. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  17. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  18. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  19. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  20. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  21. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  22. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  23. When are we going to ________________?
  24. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — a container
  2. deal — an agreement
  3. tube — in a tire
  4. stock — shares
  5. land — a country
  6. suit — to fit
  7. bass — low music
  8. land — ground
  9. deal — a big deal
  10. dip — to sink
  11. tube — the underground
  12. dip — to dunk
  13. stock — goods
  14. stock — a soup base
  15. deal — to handle
  16. bass — the fish
  17. capital — a big letter
  18. bass — the instrument
  19. capital — money
  20. suit — in cards
  21. capital — a city
  22. dip — a sauce
  23. land — to come down
  24. suit — clothes

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