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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 want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  2. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  3. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  4. He works in a ________________ mill.
  5. She's very handy with a ________________.
  6. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  7. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  8. We're almost out of ________________.
  9. I'll be taking the ________________.
  10. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  11. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  12. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  13. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  14. There's no middle ________________.
  15. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  16. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  17. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  18. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  19. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  20. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  21. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  22. You don't need to ________________ round.
  23. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  24. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — a container
  2. lean — thin
  3. pit — a hole
  4. saw — the tool
  5. saw — the tool
  6. pop — music
  7. ground — the earth
  8. pop — soda
  9. tube — the underground
  10. ground — crushed
  11. lean — to rest against
  12. stick — to attach or keep to
  13. wind — moving air
  14. ground — a position
  15. pit — in a race
  16. tube — in a tire
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. pit — a fruit stone
  19. lean — to bend
  20. wind — moving air
  21. saw — past of 'see'
  22. pop — to visit
  23. wind — to turn a key
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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