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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 fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  2. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  3. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  4. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  5. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  6. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  7. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  8. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  9. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  10. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  11. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  12. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  13. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  14. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  15. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  16. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  17. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  18. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  19. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  20. When was this ________________ built?
  21. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  22. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  23. I'll be taking the ________________.
  24. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the fish
  2. tube — in a tire
  3. chip — in a computer
  4. mine — for digging
  5. bear — to put up with
  6. content — happy
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. chip — to eat
  9. temple — side of the head
  10. mine — an explosive
  11. tube — a container
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. bass — low music
  14. bass — the instrument
  15. racket — a loud noise
  16. content — the amount
  17. bear — the animal
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. chip — for betting
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. mine — belonging to me
  22. bear — the animal
  23. tube — the underground
  24. content — videos and posts

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