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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. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  2. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  3. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  4. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  5. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  6. He is an ace ________________.
  7. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  8. I'll be taking the ________________.
  9. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  10. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  11. We're almost out of ________________.
  12. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  13. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  14. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  15. He was locked up in a ________________.
  16. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  17. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  18. You don't need to ________________ round.
  19. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  20. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  21. The King held a masked ________________.
  22. The ball is in your ________________.
  23. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  24. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in biology
  2. tube — a container
  3. tube — in a tire
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. pitcher — in baseball
  7. ball — a round shape
  8. tube — the underground
  9. ball — a great time
  10. court — of a king
  11. pop — soda
  12. pop — music
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. court — of law
  15. cell — in a prison
  16. cell — a phone
  17. fan — to cool the air
  18. pop — to visit
  19. fork — to eat with
  20. fork — a garden tool
  21. ball — a dance
  22. court — for sport
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. fork — in a road

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