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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. Where did you ________________ them?
  2. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  3. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  4. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  5. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  6. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  7. When will it ________________ you to start?
  8. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  9. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  10. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  11. We're almost out of ________________.
  12. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  13. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  14. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  15. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  16. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  17. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  18. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  19. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  20. I'll be taking the ________________.
  21. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  22. You don't need to ________________ round.
  23. The King held a masked ________________.
  24. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — to rob
  2. field — a subject
  3. tube — in a tire
  4. tube — a container
  5. suit — clothes
  6. ball — a round shape
  7. suit — to fit
  8. suit — in cards
  9. fork — a garden tool
  10. field — for sport
  11. pop — soda
  12. tear — from crying
  13. tear — from crying
  14. fork — to eat with
  15. tear — to rip
  16. mug — a cup
  17. ball — a great time
  18. field — farmland
  19. mug — a face
  20. tube — the underground
  21. fork — in a road
  22. pop — to visit
  23. ball — a dance
  24. pop — music

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