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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 120 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've got the luggage in my ________________.
  2. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  5. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  6. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  7. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  8. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  9. Have you found your soul ________________?
  10. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  11. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  12. I'll be taking the ________________.
  13. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  14. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  15. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  16. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  19. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  20. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  21. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  22. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  23. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  24. Do you need a ________________ with that?

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a car
  2. tube — in a tire
  3. net — after costs
  4. cue — a hint
  5. hand — part of the body
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. bass — low music
  8. net — for catching
  9. mate — a partner
  10. bass — the fish
  11. bass — the instrument
  12. tube — the underground
  13. mate — a friend
  14. cue — a signal
  15. stick — to attach or keep to
  16. trunk — of a tree
  17. hand — in cards
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. cue — for pool
  20. mate — to breed
  21. tube — a container
  22. net — in sport
  23. trunk — of an elephant
  24. hand — help

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