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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. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  2. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  3. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  4. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  5. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  6. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  7. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  8. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  9. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  10. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  11. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  12. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  13. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  14. It's one o'clock ________________.
  15. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  16. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  17. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  18. I'll be taking the ________________.
  19. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  20. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  21. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  22. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  23. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  24. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — a container
  2. tube — in a tire
  3. cue — for pool
  4. wind — moving air
  5. cue — a hint
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. club — for golf
  8. club — a group
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. cue — a signal
  11. sharp — clever
  12. shower — rain
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. sharp — exactly
  15. hide — animal skin
  16. wind — moving air
  17. shower — to wash
  18. tube — the underground
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. stick — to attach or keep to
  21. shower — a meteor shower
  22. sharp — with an edge
  23. club — for dancing
  24. wind — to turn a key

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