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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. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  2. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  3. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  4. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  5. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  6. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  7. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  8. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  9. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  10. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  11. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  12. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  13. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  14. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  15. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  16. I'll be taking the ________________.
  17. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  18. That must've been a ________________.
  19. It's one o'clock ________________.
  20. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  21. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  22. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  23. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  24. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — clever
  2. cap — of ice
  3. band — a music group
  4. tube — a container
  5. file — a tool
  6. rock — music
  7. deal — an agreement
  8. sharp — with an edge
  9. rock — to move gently
  10. rush — hurry
  11. deal — to handle
  12. cap — a hat
  13. rock — a stone
  14. band — a ring
  15. file — a line of people
  16. tube — the underground
  17. tube — in a tire
  18. rush — a thrill
  19. sharp — exactly
  20. deal — a big deal
  21. rush — to hurry
  22. band — a rubber band
  23. file — a document
  24. cap — a lid

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