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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. There's no middle ________________.
  2. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  3. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  4. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  5. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  6. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  7. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  8. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  9. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  10. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  11. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  12. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  13. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  14. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  15. I'll be taking the ________________.
  16. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  17. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  18. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  19. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  20. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  21. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  22. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  23. Don't do anything ________________.
  24. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — a position
  2. chest — a box
  3. tube — a container
  4. ground — crushed
  5. tube — in a tire
  6. rash — a series
  7. rash — on the skin
  8. chest — of your body
  9. ruler — for measuring
  10. net — for catching
  11. bass — the instrument
  12. net — in sport
  13. chest — of your body
  14. bass — the fish
  15. tube — the underground
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. ground — the earth
  18. straw — a straw man
  19. net — after costs
  20. ruler — a monarch
  21. bass — low music
  22. straw — to clutch at straws
  23. rash — hasty
  24. straw — dry grass

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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