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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: pound · face · cell · bat · craft · tube · jam · firm

  1. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  2. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  3. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  4. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  5. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  6. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  7. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  8. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  9. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  10. I'll be taking the ________________.
  11. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  12. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  13. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  14. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  15. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  16. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  17. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  18. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  19. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  20. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  21. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  22. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  23. He was locked up in a ________________.
  24. She had a strange look on her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — a container
  2. cell — in biology
  3. jam — to spread on bread
  4. firm — steady
  5. craft — a handicraft
  6. pound — for dogs
  7. jam — in traffic
  8. face — to point toward
  9. cell — a phone
  10. tube — the underground
  11. firm — a company
  12. bat — for baseball
  13. bat — the animal
  14. pound — to hit hard
  15. pound — a weight
  16. craft — boats
  17. bat — in an idiom
  18. firm — decided
  19. craft — a skill
  20. jam — a tight spot
  21. tube — in a tire
  22. face — to confront
  23. cell — in a prison
  24. face — part of the head

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