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

  1. We're almost out of ________________.
  2. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  3. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  4. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  5. I'll be taking the ________________.
  6. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  7. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  8. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  9. She's very handy with a ________________.
  10. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  11. I can't ________________ this cold.
  12. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  13. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  14. There's no middle ________________.
  15. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  16. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  17. He works in a ________________ mill.
  18. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  19. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  20. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  21. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  22. You don't need to ________________ round.
  23. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  24. He keeps ________________ of his days.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — soda
  2. cap — of ice
  3. tube — a container
  4. cap — a hat
  5. tube — the underground
  6. track — a song
  7. stand — on your feet
  8. ground — crushed
  9. saw — the tool
  10. saw — past of 'see'
  11. stand — to bear
  12. track — a path
  13. net — for catching
  14. ground — a position
  15. net — in sport
  16. cap — a lid
  17. saw — the tool
  18. stand — for spectators
  19. net — after costs
  20. ground — the earth
  21. pop — music
  22. pop — to visit
  23. tube — in a tire
  24. track — to keep track

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