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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. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  2. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  3. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  4. Don't do anything ________________.
  5. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  6. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  7. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  8. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  9. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  10. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  11. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  14. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  15. I'll be taking the ________________.
  16. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  17. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  18. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  19. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  20. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  21. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  22. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  23. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  24. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — a strongbox
  2. pass — a permit
  3. bowl — a football final
  4. rash — hasty
  5. safe — out of danger
  6. rash — on the skin
  7. mine — an explosive
  8. pass — to succeed
  9. tube — in a tire
  10. rash — a series
  11. content — happy
  12. mine — for digging
  13. content — the amount
  14. pass — to spend time
  15. tube — the underground
  16. mine — belonging to me
  17. content — videos and posts
  18. bowl — a dish
  19. tube — a container
  20. bowl — to roll
  21. wind — moving air
  22. wind — moving air
  23. safe — out of danger
  24. wind — to turn a key

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