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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. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  2. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  3. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  4. I'll be taking the ________________.
  5. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  6. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  7. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  8. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  9. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  10. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  11. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  12. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  13. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  14. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  15. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  16. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  17. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  18. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  19. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  20. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  21. My mare is ________________ in color.
  22. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  23. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  24. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for dancing
  2. tube — in a tire
  3. capital — money
  4. tube — the underground
  5. bay — a part of the sea
  6. club — a group
  7. wake — before a funeral
  8. toast — bread
  9. capital — a city
  10. capital — a big letter
  11. wake — to stop sleeping
  12. chest — of your body
  13. snap — to speak sharply
  14. snap — to snap out of it
  15. chest — of your body
  16. chest — a box
  17. bay — to keep at bay
  18. tube — a container
  19. club — for golf
  20. toast — a drink to someone
  21. bay — a horse colour
  22. snap — to click
  23. wake — a trail
  24. toast — the most admired

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