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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 116 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. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  2. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  5. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  6. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  7. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  8. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  9. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  10. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  11. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  12. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  13. He is an ace ________________.
  14. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  15. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  16. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  17. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  18. I'll be taking the ________________.
  19. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  20. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  21. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  22. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  23. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  24. What was your ________________ profit last year?

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

Answer key

  1. tube — a container
  2. drill — army training
  3. net — in sport
  4. track — a path
  5. track — to keep track
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. drill — the tool
  9. kick — in football
  10. kick — with a leg
  11. capital — a city
  12. capital — a big letter
  13. pitcher — in baseball
  14. track — a song
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. patient — calm and waiting
  17. net — for catching
  18. tube — the underground
  19. kick — a thrill
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. capital — money
  22. drill — a practice
  23. tube — in a tire
  24. net — after costs

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