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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. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  3. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  4. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  5. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  6. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  7. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  8. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  9. He was locked up in a ________________.
  10. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  11. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. Have you found your soul ________________?
  14. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  15. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  16. I'll be taking the ________________.
  17. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  18. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  19. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  20. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  21. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  22. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  23. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  24. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!

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

Answer key

  1. mine — an explosive
  2. mate — a friend
  3. tube — in a tire
  4. pound — to hit hard
  5. cell — in biology
  6. mark — a grade
  7. staff — employees
  8. staff — employees
  9. cell — in a prison
  10. pound — a weight
  11. mate — to breed
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. mate — a partner
  14. mark — a trace
  15. dip — to sink
  16. tube — the underground
  17. mark — to pay attention
  18. pound — for dogs
  19. dip — to dunk
  20. mine — for digging
  21. staff — a stick
  22. dip — a sauce
  23. tube — a container
  24. cell — a phone

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