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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. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  2. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  3. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  4. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  5. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  6. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  7. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  8. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  9. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  10. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  11. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  12. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  13. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  14. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  15. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  16. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  17. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  18. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  19. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  20. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  21. The ball is in your ________________.
  22. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  23. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  24. I'll be taking the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — a container
  2. shower — rain
  3. shower — a meteor shower
  4. chest — of your body
  5. cue — a signal
  6. bank — of a river
  7. bank — for money
  8. chest — a box
  9. snap — to snap out of it
  10. file — a tool
  11. bank — for money
  12. snap — to speak sharply
  13. court — of a king
  14. file — a line of people
  15. shower — to wash
  16. cue — for pool
  17. chest — of your body
  18. cue — a hint
  19. snap — to click
  20. court — of law
  21. court — for sport
  22. file — a document
  23. tube — in a tire
  24. tube — the underground

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