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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. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  2. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  3. I'll be taking the ________________.
  4. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  5. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  6. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  7. That was ________________ to happen.
  8. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  9. We're almost out of ________________.
  10. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  11. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  12. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  13. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  14. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  15. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  16. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  17. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  18. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  19. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  20. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  21. You don't need to ________________ round.
  22. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  23. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  24. The water is too ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. net — in sport
  2. cold — an illness
  3. tube — the underground
  4. net — for catching
  5. rest — a break
  6. rest — what's left
  7. bound — certain
  8. snap — to snap out of it
  9. pop — soda
  10. bound — tied together
  11. bass — the instrument
  12. bass — low music
  13. snap — to speak sharply
  14. cold — the Cold War
  15. pop — music
  16. bound — obliged
  17. bass — the fish
  18. snap — to click
  19. rest — what's left
  20. net — after costs
  21. pop — to visit
  22. tube — in a tire
  23. tube — a container
  24. cold — not warm

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