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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. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  2. When are we going to ________________?
  3. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  4. When will it ________________ you to start?
  5. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  6. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  7. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  8. We're almost out of ________________.
  9. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  10. Don't do anything ________________.
  11. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  12. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  13. I'll be taking the ________________.
  14. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  15. You don't need to ________________ round.
  16. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  17. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  18. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  19. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  20. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  21. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  22. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  23. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  24. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.

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

Answer key

  1. suit — in cards
  2. land — to come down
  3. straw — dry grass
  4. suit — to fit
  5. tube — a container
  6. straw — a straw man
  7. bowl — a football final
  8. pop — soda
  9. suit — clothes
  10. rash — hasty
  11. pop — music
  12. bowl — a dish
  13. tube — the underground
  14. straw — to clutch at straws
  15. pop — to visit
  16. rash — on the skin
  17. land — a country
  18. rash — a series
  19. scale — for weighing
  20. bowl — to roll
  21. land — ground
  22. scale — in music
  23. scale — size or range
  24. tube — in a tire

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