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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. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  2. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  3. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  6. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  7. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  8. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  9. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  10. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  11. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  12. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  13. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  14. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  15. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  16. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  17. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  18. We're on a ________________ here.
  19. I'll be taking the ________________.
  20. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  21. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  22. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  23. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  24. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — to tease
  2. fine — high quality
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. jam — to spread on bread
  6. fine — a penalty
  7. object — an aim
  8. object — a thing
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. jam — in traffic
  11. fine — all right
  12. racket — a loud noise
  13. kid — child
  14. object — to protest
  15. roll — a list
  16. jam — a tight spot
  17. mine — for digging
  18. roll — on a roll
  19. tube — the underground
  20. tube — in a tire
  21. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  22. tube — a container
  23. mine — belonging to me
  24. roll — a cake

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