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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. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  2. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  3. I'll be taking the ________________.
  4. David sat on the ________________.
  5. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  6. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  7. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  8. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  9. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  10. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  11. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  12. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  13. I've got to change the light ________________.
  14. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  15. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  16. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  17. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  18. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  19. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  20. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  21. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  22. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  23. The light ________________ burned out.
  24. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — music
  2. tube — a container
  3. tube — the underground
  4. swing — to play on
  5. kick — with a leg
  6. can — a tin
  7. can — a tin
  8. rock — a stone
  9. shower — a meteor shower
  10. swing — in golf
  11. bulb — of a plant
  12. club — for dancing
  13. bulb — for light
  14. shower — to wash
  15. shower — rain
  16. tube — in a tire
  17. rock — to move gently
  18. kick — a thrill
  19. swing — music
  20. club — for golf
  21. club — a group
  22. can — to be able to
  23. bulb — for light
  24. kick — in football

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