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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's taking a ________________ right now.
  2. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  3. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  4. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  5. I'll be taking the ________________.
  6. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  7. How do you ________________ your surname?
  8. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  9. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  10. Have you found your soul ________________?
  11. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  12. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  13. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  14. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  15. The tickets are free of ________________.
  16. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  17. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  18. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  19. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  20. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  21. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  22. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  23. The ________________ took off on time.
  24. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — to wash
  2. can — a tin
  3. rest — what's left
  4. tube — in a tire
  5. tube — the underground
  6. tube — a container
  7. spell — letters
  8. rest — a break
  9. plane — in geometry
  10. mate — a partner
  11. spell — a short time
  12. can — a tin
  13. charge — in control
  14. mate — a friend
  15. charge — a price
  16. spell — magic
  17. charge — electricity
  18. shower — a meteor shower
  19. shower — rain
  20. can — to be able to
  21. mate — to breed
  22. rest — what's left
  23. plane — an aircraft
  24. plane — a tool

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