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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. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  3. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  4. When are we going to ________________?
  5. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  6. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  7. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  8. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  9. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  10. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  11. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  12. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  13. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  14. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  15. I'll be taking the ________________.
  16. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  17. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  18. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  19. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  20. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  21. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  22. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  23. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  24. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — a container
  2. rock — to move gently
  3. dip — a sauce
  4. land — to come down
  5. bear — the animal
  6. rock — a stone
  7. chair — a professorship
  8. dip — to sink
  9. bowl — a dish
  10. tube — in a tire
  11. land — ground
  12. rock — music
  13. chair — to sit on
  14. chest — of your body
  15. tube — the underground
  16. dip — to dunk
  17. bear — the animal
  18. bear — to put up with
  19. bowl — to roll
  20. bowl — a football final
  21. chest — of your body
  22. chair — a leader
  23. chest — a box
  24. land — a country

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