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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. The King held a masked ________________.
  2. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  3. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  4. We're almost out of ________________.
  5. You don't need to ________________ round.
  6. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  7. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  8. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  9. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  10. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  11. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  12. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  13. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  14. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  15. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  16. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  17. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  18. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  19. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  20. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  21. I'll be taking the ________________.
  22. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  23. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  24. I've got the luggage in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a dance
  2. bowl — to roll
  3. pass — a permit
  4. pop — soda
  5. pop — to visit
  6. tube — in a tire
  7. pass — to succeed
  8. ball — a round shape
  9. bowl — a football final
  10. pass — to spend time
  11. foot — a measure
  12. foot — part of the body
  13. tube — a container
  14. stem — to come from
  15. ball — a great time
  16. trunk — of a tree
  17. stem — a stem cell
  18. bowl — a dish
  19. pop — music
  20. trunk — of an elephant
  21. tube — the underground
  22. stem — of a plant
  23. foot — the bottom
  24. trunk — of a car

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