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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. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  2. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  3. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  4. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  5. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  6. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  7. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  8. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  9. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  10. It's one o'clock ________________.
  11. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  12. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  13. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  14. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  15. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  16. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  17. How do you ________________ your surname?
  18. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  19. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  20. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  21. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  22. I'll be taking the ________________.
  23. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  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. bowl — a football final
  2. spell — magic
  3. tube — in a tire
  4. bowl — to roll
  5. squash — the sport
  6. trunk — of an elephant
  7. rest — what's left
  8. squash — to crush
  9. trunk — of a car
  10. sharp — exactly
  11. sharp — clever
  12. can — a tin
  13. spell — a short time
  14. squash — the vegetable
  15. trunk — of a tree
  16. can — to be able to
  17. spell — letters
  18. rest — what's left
  19. sharp — with an edge
  20. can — a tin
  21. rest — a break
  22. tube — the underground
  23. bowl — a dish
  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