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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. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  2. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  3. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  4. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  5. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  6. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  7. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  8. Have you settled on a ________________?
  9. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  10. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  11. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  12. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  13. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  14. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  15. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  16. Did you ________________ the button?
  17. We're on a ________________ here.
  18. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  19. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  20. I'll be taking the ________________.
  21. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  22. That was ________________ to happen.
  23. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  24. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — a container
  2. press — a publisher
  3. racket — a loud noise
  4. bound — tied together
  5. chest — of your body
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. press — newspapers
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. chest — of your body
  10. club — for golf
  11. club — for dancing
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. club — a group
  14. chest — a box
  15. roll — a list
  16. press — to push
  17. roll — on a roll
  18. date — the fruit
  19. bound — obliged
  20. tube — the underground
  21. tube — in a tire
  22. bound — certain
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. roll — a cake

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