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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 ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  2. That was ________________ to happen.
  3. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  4. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  5. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  6. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  7. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  8. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  9. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  10. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  11. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  12. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  13. That must've been a ________________.
  14. I'll be taking the ________________.
  15. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  16. What do you think of the new ________________?
  17. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  18. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  19. That was a fun ________________.
  20. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  21. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  22. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  23. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  24. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — a sauce
  2. bound — certain
  3. bound — obliged
  4. tube — in a tire
  5. bass — the fish
  6. tube — a container
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. pit — a hole
  9. game — a kind of play
  10. bass — low music
  11. rush — to hurry
  12. bound — tied together
  13. rush — a thrill
  14. tube — the underground
  15. dip — to sink
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. bass — the instrument
  18. game — wild animals
  19. game — a match
  20. dip — to dunk
  21. rush — hurry
  22. cabinet — a cupboard
  23. pit — a fruit stone
  24. pit — in a race

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