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

  1. That was a fun ________________.
  2. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  3. The ________________ market has crashed.
  4. The ________________ went through the wall.
  5. I'll be taking the ________________.
  6. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  7. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  8. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  9. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  10. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  11. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  12. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  13. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  14. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  15. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  16. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  17. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  18. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  19. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  20. That must've been a ________________.
  21. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  22. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  23. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  24. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a match
  2. leaves — of a tree
  3. stock — shares
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. tube — the underground
  6. stock — goods
  7. game — a kind of play
  8. track — to keep track
  9. tube — in a tire
  10. track — a path
  11. rest — what's left
  12. game — wild animals
  13. rush — hurry
  14. rest — what's left
  15. stock — a soup base
  16. rush — to hurry
  17. tube — a container
  18. leaves — lets stay
  19. rest — a break
  20. rush — a thrill
  21. leaves — to go away
  22. nail — on a finger
  23. track — a song
  24. nail — for a hammer

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