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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. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  2. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  3. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  4. False peace will not ________________.
  5. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  6. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  7. I'll be taking the ________________.
  8. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  9. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  10. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  11. The ________________ market has crashed.
  12. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  13. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  14. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  15. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  16. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  17. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  18. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  19. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  20. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  21. The King held a masked ________________.
  22. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  23. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  24. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — a container
  2. ball — a round shape
  3. fall — to drop
  4. last — to go on
  5. ball — a great time
  6. stock — goods
  7. tube — the underground
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. last — final
  10. tube — in a tire
  11. stock — shares
  12. clip — for paper
  13. last — finally
  14. racket — a loud noise
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. clip — a video
  19. stock — a soup base
  20. clip — to cut
  21. ball — a dance
  22. calf — of the leg
  23. fall — the season
  24. fall — to drop

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