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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 120 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 need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  2. I'll be taking the ________________.
  3. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  4. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  5. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  6. Did you ________________ the meat?
  7. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  8. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  9. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  10. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  11. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  12. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  13. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  14. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  15. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  16. That must've been a ________________.
  17. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  18. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  19. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  20. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  21. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  22. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  23. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  24. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — in a tire
  2. tube — the underground
  3. rush — hurry
  4. rush — to hurry
  5. rock — music
  6. season — to add flavour
  7. rock — a stone
  8. rock — to move gently
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. scale — in music
  11. fan — to cool the air
  12. cue — for pool
  13. cue — a signal
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. season — in sport
  16. rush — a thrill
  17. scale — for weighing
  18. scale — size or range
  19. march — the month
  20. march — the month
  21. march — music
  22. cue — a hint
  23. season — of the year
  24. tube — a container

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