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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 refilled his coffee ________________.
  2. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  3. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  4. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  5. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  6. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  7. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  8. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  9. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  10. We're almost out of ________________.
  11. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  12. I'll be taking the ________________.
  13. You don't need to ________________ round.
  14. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  15. That was ________________ to happen.
  16. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  17. It's one o'clock ________________.
  18. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  19. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  20. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  21. Where did you ________________ them?
  22. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  23. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  24. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a cup
  2. squash — to crush
  3. tube — in a tire
  4. squash — the vegetable
  5. staff — employees
  6. sharp — with an edge
  7. mug — a face
  8. bound — tied together
  9. staff — a stick
  10. pop — soda
  11. fall — to drop
  12. tube — the underground
  13. pop — to visit
  14. fall — the season
  15. bound — certain
  16. pop — music
  17. sharp — exactly
  18. bound — obliged
  19. squash — the sport
  20. fall — to drop
  21. mug — to rob
  22. tube — a container
  23. sharp — clever
  24. staff — employees

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