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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. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  3. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  4. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  5. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  6. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  7. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. I'll be taking the ________________.
  10. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  11. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  14. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  15. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  16. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  17. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  18. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  19. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  20. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  21. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  22. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  23. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  24. ________________ you help me carry this box?

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

Answer key

  1. tube — a container
  2. pitch — a sports field
  3. pitch — a sales talk
  4. fine — all right
  5. can — a tin
  6. rock — to move gently
  7. row — to paddle
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. tube — the underground
  10. row — a quarrel
  11. tube — in a tire
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. fine — high quality
  14. rock — music
  15. face — part of the head
  16. face — to confront
  17. can — a tin
  18. fine — a penalty
  19. mine — for digging
  20. row — a line
  21. face — to point toward
  22. rock — a stone
  23. pitch — completely
  24. can — to be able to

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