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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. Don't do anything ________________.
  2. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  3. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  6. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  7. David sat on the ________________.
  8. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  9. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  10. He was locked up in a ________________.
  11. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  12. I'll be taking the ________________.
  13. My mare is ________________ in color.
  14. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  15. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  16. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  17. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  18. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  19. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  20. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  21. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  22. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  23. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  24. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!

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

Answer key

  1. rash — hasty
  2. tube — in a tire
  3. rest — what's left
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. bay — to keep at bay
  6. squash — the sport
  7. swing — to play on
  8. rash — a series
  9. mine — for digging
  10. cell — in a prison
  11. tube — a container
  12. tube — the underground
  13. bay — a horse colour
  14. rest — a break
  15. swing — in golf
  16. swing — music
  17. squash — the vegetable
  18. mine — belonging to me
  19. bay — a part of the sea
  20. rash — on the skin
  21. cell — in biology
  22. rest — what's left
  23. squash — to crush
  24. cell — a phone

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