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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. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  3. That was a fun ________________.
  4. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  5. You don't need to ________________ round.
  6. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  7. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  8. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  9. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  10. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  11. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  12. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  13. We're almost out of ________________.
  14. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  15. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  16. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  17. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  18. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  19. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  20. I'll be taking the ________________.
  21. That was ________________ to happen.
  22. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  23. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  24. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — a container
  2. shower — to wash
  3. game — a match
  4. fine — a penalty
  5. pop — to visit
  6. fine — high quality
  7. fine — all right
  8. game — wild animals
  9. fall — the season
  10. bound — tied together
  11. fall — to drop
  12. rest — what's left
  13. pop — soda
  14. tube — in a tire
  15. shower — a meteor shower
  16. pop — music
  17. rest — what's left
  18. shower — rain
  19. rest — a break
  20. tube — the underground
  21. bound — certain
  22. game — a kind of play
  23. bound — obliged
  24. fall — to drop

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