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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 124 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 want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  3. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  4. David sat on the ________________.
  5. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  6. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  7. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  8. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  9. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  10. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  11. I'll be taking the ________________.
  12. Don't do anything ________________.
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  15. Have you settled on a ________________?
  16. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  17. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  18. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  19. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  20. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  21. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  22. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  23. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  24. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?

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 — a container
  3. can — a tin
  4. swing — to play on
  5. tube — in a tire
  6. can — to be able to
  7. rash — on the skin
  8. rash — a series
  9. object — a thing
  10. object — an aim
  11. tube — the underground
  12. rash — hasty
  13. hand — in cards
  14. date — the fruit
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. swing — music
  17. object — to protest
  18. can — a tin
  19. rest — what's left
  20. swing — in golf
  21. rest — a break
  22. hand — help
  23. rest — what's left
  24. date — on the calendar

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