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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 want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  2. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  3. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  4. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  5. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  6. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. I'll be taking the ________________.
  9. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  10. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  11. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  14. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  15. David sat on the ________________.
  16. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  19. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  20. The King held a masked ________________.
  21. He was locked up in a ________________.
  22. My father caught me by the ________________.
  23. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  24. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — a container
  2. hand — in cards
  3. swing — music
  4. rock — a stone
  5. tube — in a tire
  6. swing — in golf
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. tube — the underground
  9. ball — a great time
  10. arm — a part of something
  11. cell — a phone
  12. net — for catching
  13. rock — to move gently
  14. rock — music
  15. swing — to play on
  16. net — after costs
  17. hand — help
  18. ball — a round shape
  19. net — in sport
  20. ball — a dance
  21. cell — in a prison
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. cell — in biology
  24. arm — part of the body

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