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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. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  3. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  4. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  5. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  6. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  7. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  8. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  9. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  10. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  11. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  12. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  13. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  14. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  15. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  16. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  17. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  18. The King held a masked ________________.
  19. I'll be taking the ________________.
  20. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  21. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  22. When are we going to ________________?
  23. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  24. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — a container
  2. rest — what's left
  3. tube — in a tire
  4. fall — the season
  5. ball — a round shape
  6. staff — a stick
  7. fall — to drop
  8. rest — a break
  9. staff — employees
  10. land — ground
  11. staff — employees
  12. fall — to drop
  13. net — for catching
  14. net — in sport
  15. land — a country
  16. ball — a great time
  17. rest — what's left
  18. ball — a dance
  19. tube — the underground
  20. snap — to speak sharply
  21. net — after costs
  22. land — to come down
  23. snap — to click
  24. snap — to snap out of it

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