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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. That was ________________ to happen.
  2. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  4. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  5. I'll be taking the ________________.
  6. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  7. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  8. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  11. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  12. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  13. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  14. Have you found your soul ________________?
  15. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  16. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  17. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  18. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  19. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  20. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  21. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  22. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  23. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  24. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — certain
  2. mine — for digging
  3. mate — a friend
  4. tube — in a tire
  5. tube — the underground
  6. bowl — to roll
  7. bound — tied together
  8. shower — to wash
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. leaves — lets stay
  11. tube — a container
  12. leaves — to go away
  13. bowl — a dish
  14. mate — a partner
  15. shower — a meteor shower
  16. band — a rubber band
  17. bound — obliged
  18. band — a music group
  19. mine — belonging to me
  20. mate — to breed
  21. leaves — of a tree
  22. band — a ring
  23. shower — rain
  24. bowl — a football final

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