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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. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  3. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  4. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  5. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  6. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  7. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  8. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  9. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  10. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  11. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  12. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  13. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  14. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  15. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  16. You don't need to ________________ round.
  17. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  18. I'll be taking the ________________.
  19. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  20. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  21. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  22. Have you settled on a ________________?
  23. We're almost out of ________________.
  24. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. tube — a container
  2. scale — in music
  3. pound — for dogs
  4. tube — in a tire
  5. scale — size or range
  6. pound — to hit hard
  7. rule — to rule out
  8. pound — a weight
  9. date — the fruit
  10. shower — to wash
  11. shower — a meteor shower
  12. jam — to spread on bread
  13. shower — rain
  14. jam — a tight spot
  15. scale — for weighing
  16. pop — to visit
  17. rule — government
  18. tube — the underground
  19. jam — in traffic
  20. pop — music
  21. rule — a law
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. pop — soda
  24. date — on the calendar

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