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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 116 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 need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  2. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  3. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  4. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  5. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  6. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  7. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  8. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  9. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  10. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  11. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  12. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  13. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  14. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  15. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  16. Did you ________________ the meat?
  17. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  18. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  19. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  20. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  21. I'll be taking the ________________.
  22. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  23. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  24. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — in a tire
  2. staff — employees
  3. bass — low music
  4. season — of the year
  5. fan — to cool the air
  6. staff — a stick
  7. squash — the vegetable
  8. scale — size or range
  9. squash — to crush
  10. cap — of ice
  11. bass — the instrument
  12. cap — a lid
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. scale — in music
  15. tube — a container
  16. season — to add flavour
  17. cap — a hat
  18. season — in sport
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. staff — employees
  21. tube — the underground
  22. squash — the sport
  23. scale — for weighing
  24. bass — the fish

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