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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. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  2. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  3. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  4. You don't need to ________________ round.
  5. The King held a masked ________________.
  6. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  7. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  8. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  9. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  10. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  11. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  12. I'll be taking the ________________.
  13. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  14. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  15. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  16. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  17. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  18. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  19. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  20. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  21. We're almost out of ________________.
  22. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  23. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  24. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — for digging
  2. can — to be able to
  3. mine — an explosive
  4. pop — to visit
  5. ball — a dance
  6. ball — a great time
  7. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  8. kid — to tease
  9. can — a tin
  10. can — a tin
  11. tube — a container
  12. tube — the underground
  13. kid — child
  14. leaves — of a tree
  15. leaves — to go away
  16. mine — belonging to me
  17. tube — in a tire
  18. row — a line
  19. leaves — lets stay
  20. pop — music
  21. pop — soda
  22. ball — a round shape
  23. row — a quarrel
  24. row — to paddle

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