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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. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  2. You don't need to ________________ round.
  3. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  4. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  5. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  6. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  7. I'll be taking the ________________.
  8. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  9. He was locked up in a ________________.
  10. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  11. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  12. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  13. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  14. We're almost out of ________________.
  15. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  16. Have you found your soul ________________?
  17. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  18. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  19. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  20. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  21. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  22. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  23. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  24. When will it ________________ you to start?

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

Answer key

  1. shower — to wash
  2. pop — to visit
  3. tube — a container
  4. wake — a trail
  5. bass — low music
  6. shower — a meteor shower
  7. tube — the underground
  8. mate — a friend
  9. cell — in a prison
  10. cell — a phone
  11. wake — to stop sleeping
  12. tube — in a tire
  13. mate — to breed
  14. pop — soda
  15. suit — clothes
  16. mate — a partner
  17. shower — rain
  18. cell — in biology
  19. pop — music
  20. bass — the fish
  21. suit — in cards
  22. bass — the instrument
  23. wake — before a funeral
  24. suit — to fit

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