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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. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  2. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  3. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  4. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  5. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  6. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  7. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  8. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  9. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  10. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  11. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  12. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  13. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  14. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  15. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  16. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  17. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  18. I'll be taking the ________________.
  19. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  20. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  21. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  22. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  23. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  24. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — for weighing
  2. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  3. can — to be able to
  4. scale — in music
  5. cap — of ice
  6. bowl — a football final
  7. cap — a hat
  8. bat — in an idiom
  9. rock — music
  10. kid — to tease
  11. can — a tin
  12. scale — size or range
  13. rock — to move gently
  14. rock — a stone
  15. kid — child
  16. tube — in a tire
  17. bowl — to roll
  18. tube — the underground
  19. can — a tin
  20. cap — a lid
  21. bowl — a dish
  22. bat — the animal
  23. bat — for baseball
  24. tube — a container

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