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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. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  2. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  3. The King held a masked ________________.
  4. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  5. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  6. My mare is ________________ in color.
  7. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  8. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  9. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  10. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  11. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  12. I'll be taking the ________________.
  13. He was locked up in a ________________.
  14. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  15. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  16. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  17. That must've been a ________________.
  18. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  19. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  20. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  21. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  22. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  23. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  24. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. tube — a container
  3. ball — a dance
  4. fall — to drop
  5. bay — to keep at bay
  6. bay — a horse colour
  7. ball — a great time
  8. rush — to hurry
  9. stick — to attach or keep to
  10. ball — a round shape
  11. fall — to drop
  12. tube — the underground
  13. cell — in a prison
  14. scale — in music
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. bay — a part of the sea
  17. rush — a thrill
  18. fall — the season
  19. scale — for weighing
  20. tube — in a tire
  21. rush — hurry
  22. cell — in biology
  23. cell — a phone
  24. scale — size or range

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