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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. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  2. I'll be taking the ________________.
  3. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  4. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  5. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  6. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  7. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  8. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  9. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  10. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  11. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  12. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  13. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  14. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  15. There's no middle ________________.
  16. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  17. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  18. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  19. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  20. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  21. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  22. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  23. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  24. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a song
  2. tube — the underground
  3. deal — a big deal
  4. deal — an agreement
  5. object — an aim
  6. tube — in a tire
  7. chip — for betting
  8. net — for catching
  9. net — after costs
  10. net — in sport
  11. chip — in a computer
  12. ground — the earth
  13. snap — to speak sharply
  14. ground — crushed
  15. ground — a position
  16. snap — to snap out of it
  17. deal — to handle
  18. snap — to click
  19. object — to protest
  20. object — a thing
  21. track — to keep track
  22. chip — to eat
  23. tube — a container
  24. track — a path

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