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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: ball · tube · roll · deal · chest · scale · cap · rest

  1. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  2. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  3. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  4. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  5. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  6. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  7. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  8. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  9. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  10. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  11. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  12. We're on a ________________ here.
  13. The King held a masked ________________.
  14. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  15. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  16. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  17. I'll be taking the ________________.
  18. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  19. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  20. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  21. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  22. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  23. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  24. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. ball — a great time
  3. tube — in a tire
  4. scale — size or range
  5. rest — what's left
  6. rest — a break
  7. roll — a list
  8. roll — a cake
  9. deal — an agreement
  10. cap — of ice
  11. chest — of your body
  12. roll — on a roll
  13. ball — a dance
  14. cap — a lid
  15. tube — a container
  16. cap — a hat
  17. tube — the underground
  18. scale — in music
  19. deal — a big deal
  20. scale — for weighing
  21. chest — a box
  22. ball — a round shape
  23. deal — to handle
  24. rest — what's left

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