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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. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  2. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  3. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  4. There's no middle ________________.
  5. I'll be taking the ________________.
  6. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  7. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  8. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  9. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  10. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  11. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  12. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  13. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  14. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  15. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  16. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  17. The King held a masked ________________.
  18. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  19. Where did you ________________ them?
  20. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  21. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  22. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  23. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  24. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a face
  2. tube — in a tire
  3. band — a rubber band
  4. ground — a position
  5. tube — the underground
  6. fine — all right
  7. club — for golf
  8. ground — crushed
  9. tube — a container
  10. ball — a great time
  11. band — a ring
  12. squash — the sport
  13. fine — a penalty
  14. ball — a round shape
  15. squash — to crush
  16. mug — a cup
  17. ball — a dance
  18. fine — high quality
  19. mug — to rob
  20. ground — the earth
  21. club — for dancing
  22. squash — the vegetable
  23. club — a group
  24. band — a music group

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