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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. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  2. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  3. Have you met the new head ________________?
  4. There's no middle ________________.
  5. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  6. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  7. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  8. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  9. It's one o'clock ________________.
  10. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  11. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  12. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  13. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  14. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  15. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  16. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  17. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  18. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  19. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  20. He was locked up in a ________________.
  21. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  22. I'll be taking the ________________.
  23. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  24. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!

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

Answer key

  1. tube — a container
  2. tube — in a tire
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. ground — a position
  5. rest — what's left
  6. squash — to crush
  7. coach — pulled by horses
  8. sharp — with an edge
  9. sharp — exactly
  10. rest — what's left
  11. bank — of a river
  12. ground — the earth
  13. sharp — clever
  14. bank — for money
  15. bank — for money
  16. squash — the vegetable
  17. squash — the sport
  18. ground — crushed
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. cell — in a prison
  21. rest — a break
  22. tube — the underground
  23. cell — in biology
  24. cell — a phone

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