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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. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  2. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  3. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  4. He was locked up in a ________________.
  5. I'll be taking the ________________.
  6. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  7. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  8. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  9. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  10. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  11. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  12. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  13. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  14. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  15. When was this ________________ built?
  16. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  17. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  18. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  19. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  20. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  21. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  22. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  23. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  24. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. tube — in a tire
  3. staff — employees
  4. cell — in a prison
  5. tube — the underground
  6. toast — bread
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. straw — a straw man
  9. march — music
  10. toast — the most admired
  11. straw — to clutch at straws
  12. staff — a stick
  13. cell — in biology
  14. straw — dry grass
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. cell — a phone
  17. bass — the fish
  18. bass — low music
  19. temple — side of the head
  20. bass — the instrument
  21. toast — a drink to someone
  22. march — the month
  23. staff — employees
  24. tube — a container

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