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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. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  2. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  3. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  4. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  5. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  6. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  7. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  8. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  9. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  10. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  11. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  12. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  13. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  14. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  15. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  16. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  17. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  18. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  19. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. The ________________ market has crashed.
  22. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  23. I'll be taking the ________________.
  24. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — part of the body
  2. tube — in a tire
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. bass — the fish
  5. bowl — a football final
  6. bass — the instrument
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. capital — a big letter
  9. band — a ring
  10. hand — in cards
  11. stock — a soup base
  12. capital — money
  13. capital — a city
  14. bowl — to roll
  15. stock — goods
  16. tube — a container
  17. band — a music group
  18. band — a rubber band
  19. bowl — a dish
  20. hand — help
  21. stock — shares
  22. lie — to recline
  23. tube — the underground
  24. bass — low music

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