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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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Word bank
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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: temple · fine · pit · cap · wind · tube · pop · bowl

  1. I'll be taking the ________________.
  2. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  3. You don't need to ________________ round.
  4. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  5. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  6. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  7. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  8. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  9. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  10. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  11. We're almost out of ________________.
  12. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  13. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  14. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  15. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  16. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  17. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  18. When was this ________________ built?
  19. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  20. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  21. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  22. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  23. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  24. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — the underground
  2. bowl — to roll
  3. pop — to visit
  4. wind — to turn a key
  5. bowl — a football final
  6. tube — in a tire
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. cap — of ice
  9. wind — moving air
  10. cap — a hat
  11. pop — soda
  12. fine — high quality
  13. pit — in a race
  14. pit — a hole
  15. pit — a fruit stone
  16. fine — a penalty
  17. tube — a container
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. bowl — a dish
  20. cap — a lid
  21. fine — all right
  22. temple — side of the head
  23. pop — music
  24. wind — moving air

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