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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. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  2. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  3. I'll be taking the ________________.
  4. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  5. Did you ________________ the meat?
  6. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  7. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  8. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  9. We're on a ________________ here.
  10. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  11. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  12. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  13. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  14. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  15. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  16. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  17. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  18. That must've been a ________________.
  19. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  20. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  21. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  22. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  23. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  24. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a cake
  2. scale — for weighing
  3. tube — the underground
  4. scale — size or range
  5. season — to add flavour
  6. season — of the year
  7. cue — a hint
  8. tube — in a tire
  9. roll — on a roll
  10. straw — dry grass
  11. season — in sport
  12. dip — a sauce
  13. straw — to clutch at straws
  14. cue — for pool
  15. roll — a list
  16. straw — a straw man
  17. dip — to sink
  18. rush — a thrill
  19. rush — to hurry
  20. rush — hurry
  21. tube — a container
  22. cue — a signal
  23. dip — to dunk
  24. scale — in music

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