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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. Have you met the new head ________________?
  3. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  4. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  5. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  6. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  7. He is an ace ________________.
  8. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  9. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  10. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  11. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  12. Did you ________________ the meat?
  13. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  14. I'll be taking the ________________.
  15. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  16. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  17. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  18. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  19. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  20. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  21. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  22. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  23. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  24. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — a container
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. club — for golf
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. firm — a company
  6. safe — out of danger
  7. pitcher — in baseball
  8. season — of the year
  9. club — for dancing
  10. fine — high quality
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. season — to add flavour
  13. fine — a penalty
  14. tube — the underground
  15. firm — steady
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. fine — all right
  18. safe — a strongbox
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. coach — pulled by horses
  21. club — a group
  22. tube — in a tire
  23. firm — decided
  24. season — in sport

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