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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. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  2. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  3. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  4. Have you met the new head ________________?
  5. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  6. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  7. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  8. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  9. The water is too ________________.
  10. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  11. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  12. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  13. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  14. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  15. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  16. The tickets are free of ________________.
  17. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  18. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  19. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  20. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  21. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  22. I'll be taking the ________________.
  23. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  24. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — for a computer
  2. bowl — to roll
  3. wake — before a funeral
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. tube — a container
  6. bowl — a football final
  7. coach — pulled by horses
  8. staff — a stick
  9. cold — not warm
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. bowl — a dish
  12. charge — electricity
  13. staff — employees
  14. staff — employees
  15. wake — a trail
  16. charge — a price
  17. cold — the Cold War
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. wake — to stop sleeping
  20. tube — in a tire
  21. cold — an illness
  22. tube — the underground
  23. charge — in control
  24. mouse — the animal

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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