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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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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: can · sharp · bowl · bear · chair · tube · cabinet · ground

  1. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  2. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  3. I'll be taking the ________________.
  4. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  5. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  6. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  7. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  8. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  9. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  10. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  11. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  12. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  13. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  14. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  15. It's one o'clock ________________.
  16. What do you think of the new ________________?
  17. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  18. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  19. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  20. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  21. There's no middle ________________.
  22. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  23. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  24. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a football final
  2. bear — the animal
  3. tube — the underground
  4. bear — to put up with
  5. cabinet — a cupboard
  6. chair — a professorship
  7. tube — in a tire
  8. can — to be able to
  9. can — a tin
  10. bear — the animal
  11. sharp — clever
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. chair — to sit on
  14. ground — crushed
  15. sharp — exactly
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. sharp — with an edge
  18. can — a tin
  19. bowl — to roll
  20. tube — a container
  21. ground — a position
  22. ground — the earth
  23. chair — a leader
  24. bowl — a dish

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