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

Word bank: perch · cell · pit · cabinet · squash · bass · court · tube

  1. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  2. The ball is in your ________________.
  3. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  4. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  5. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  6. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  7. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  8. He was locked up in a ________________.
  9. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  10. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  11. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  12. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  13. I'll be taking the ________________.
  14. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  15. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  16. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  17. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  18. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  19. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  20. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  21. What do you think of the new ________________?
  22. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  23. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  24. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — a container
  2. court — for sport
  3. cell — a phone
  4. squash — the sport
  5. bass — the fish
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. cabinet — a cupboard
  8. cell — in a prison
  9. bass — the instrument
  10. bass — low music
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. tube — in a tire
  13. tube — the underground
  14. pit — a hole
  15. pit — in a race
  16. cell — in biology
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. perch — the fish
  19. squash — the vegetable
  20. court — of a king
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. court — of law
  23. pit — a fruit stone
  24. squash — to crush

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