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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. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  3. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  4. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  5. I'll be taking the ________________.
  6. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  7. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  8. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  9. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  10. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  11. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  12. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  13. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  14. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  15. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  16. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  17. What do you think of the new ________________?
  18. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  19. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  20. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  21. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  22. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  23. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  24. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — a container
  2. row — a quarrel
  3. lean — to rest against
  4. chest — of your body
  5. tube — the underground
  6. bass — the instrument
  7. bass — low music
  8. row — a line
  9. lash — an eyelash
  10. lean — to bend
  11. tube — in a tire
  12. cue — a hint
  13. lash — to lash out
  14. chest — of your body
  15. row — to paddle
  16. chest — a box
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. lean — thin
  19. cabinet — a cupboard
  20. cue — a signal
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. cue — for pool
  23. lash — a whip stroke
  24. bass — the fish

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