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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 want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  2. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  3. David sat on the ________________.
  4. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  5. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  6. What do you think of the new ________________?
  7. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  8. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  9. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  10. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  11. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  12. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  13. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  14. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  15. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  16. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  17. I'll be taking the ________________.
  18. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  19. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  20. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  21. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  22. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  23. When are we going to ________________?
  24. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — a container
  2. mouse — for a computer
  3. swing — to play on
  4. swing — music
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. pass — to spend time
  9. tube — in a tire
  10. field — for sport
  11. cabinet — a cupboard
  12. net — in sport
  13. pass — a permit
  14. land — ground
  15. net — after costs
  16. field — a subject
  17. tube — the underground
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. land — a country
  20. pass — to succeed
  21. net — for catching
  22. swing — in golf
  23. land — to come down
  24. field — farmland

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