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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. I'll be taking the ________________.
  2. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  3. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  4. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  5. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  6. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  7. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  8. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  9. The tickets are free of ________________.
  10. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  11. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  12. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  13. Where did you ________________ them?
  14. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  15. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  16. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  17. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  18. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  19. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  20. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  21. That was a fun ________________.
  22. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  23. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — the underground
  2. mine — an explosive
  3. jam — to spread on bread
  4. mine — for digging
  5. charge — electricity
  6. mug — a face
  7. game — wild animals
  8. track — a path
  9. charge — a price
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. track — a song
  12. perch — the fish
  13. mug — to rob
  14. tube — in a tire
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. mug — a cup
  17. charge — in control
  18. tube — a container
  19. track — to keep track
  20. game — a kind of play
  21. game — a match
  22. jam — a tight spot
  23. jam — in traffic
  24. mine — belonging to me

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