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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. You don't need to ________________ round.
  2. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  3. We're almost out of ________________.
  4. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  5. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  6. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  7. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  8. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  9. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  10. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  11. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  12. I'll be taking the ________________.
  13. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  14. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  15. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  16. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  17. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  18. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  19. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  20. When are we going to ________________?
  21. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  22. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  23. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  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. pop — to visit
  2. bat — for baseball
  3. pop — soda
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. mark — a grade
  6. tube — in a tire
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. patient — calm and waiting
  9. march — music
  10. pitch — a sales talk
  11. bat — the animal
  12. tube — the underground
  13. land — a country
  14. bat — in an idiom
  15. pitch — a sports field
  16. march — the month
  17. land — ground
  18. pitch — completely
  19. march — the month
  20. land — to come down
  21. mark — to pay attention
  22. tube — a container
  23. mark — a trace
  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