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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. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  3. That must've been a ________________.
  4. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  5. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  6. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  7. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  8. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  9. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  10. I'll be taking the ________________.
  11. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  12. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  13. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  14. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  15. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  16. The King held a masked ________________.
  17. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  18. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  19. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  20. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  21. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  22. My father caught me by the ________________.
  23. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  24. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — a container
  2. pitch — a sports field
  3. rush — a thrill
  4. march — the month
  5. march — the month
  6. tube — in a tire
  7. cap — a lid
  8. march — music
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. tube — the underground
  11. rush — to hurry
  12. pitch — a sales talk
  13. ball — a round shape
  14. pitch — completely
  15. rush — hurry
  16. ball — a dance
  17. wake — a trail
  18. cap — of ice
  19. arm — a part of something
  20. ball — a great time
  21. wake — to stop sleeping
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. cap — a hat
  24. wake — before a funeral

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