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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. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  2. We're on a ________________ here.
  3. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  4. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  5. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  6. You don't need to ________________ round.
  7. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  8. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  9. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  10. I'll be taking the ________________.
  11. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  12. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  13. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  14. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  15. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  16. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  17. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  18. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  19. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  20. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  21. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  22. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  23. We're almost out of ________________.
  24. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — child
  2. roll — on a roll
  3. scale — size or range
  4. kick — with a leg
  5. mark — a trace
  6. pop — to visit
  7. roll — a cake
  8. scale — in music
  9. tube — in a tire
  10. tube — the underground
  11. kick — a thrill
  12. pop — music
  13. tube — a container
  14. drill — army training
  15. scale — for weighing
  16. mark — a grade
  17. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  18. kick — in football
  19. drill — a practice
  20. mark — to pay attention
  21. kid — to tease
  22. drill — the tool
  23. pop — soda
  24. roll — a list

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