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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 116 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'll be taking the ________________.
  2. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  3. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  4. The ________________ market has crashed.
  5. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  6. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  7. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  8. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  9. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  10. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  11. He is an ace ________________.
  12. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  13. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  14. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  15. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  16. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  17. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  18. Did you ________________ the meat?
  19. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  20. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  21. Don't do anything ________________.
  22. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  23. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  24. Spring is a pleasant ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — the underground
  2. lean — to bend
  3. rash — on the skin
  4. stock — shares
  5. scale — size or range
  6. tube — a container
  7. tube — in a tire
  8. season — in sport
  9. lean — thin
  10. pound — to hit hard
  11. pitcher — in baseball
  12. stock — goods
  13. pound — for dogs
  14. scale — for weighing
  15. lean — to rest against
  16. pound — a weight
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. season — to add flavour
  19. stock — a soup base
  20. scale — in music
  21. rash — hasty
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. rash — a series
  24. season — of the year

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