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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 120 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 don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  2. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  3. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  4. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  5. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  6. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  7. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  8. That must've been a ________________.
  9. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  10. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  11. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  12. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  13. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  14. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  15. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  16. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  17. I'll be taking the ________________.
  18. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  19. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  20. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  21. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  22. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  23. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  24. I play ________________ in a jazz band.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. rush — to hurry
  3. tube — in a tire
  4. pitch — a sales talk
  5. root — of a word
  6. track — a path
  7. bass — low music
  8. rush — a thrill
  9. dip — a sauce
  10. bass — the fish
  11. mouse — for a computer
  12. rush — hurry
  13. track — to keep track
  14. dip — to sink
  15. pitch — completely
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. tube — the underground
  18. dip — to dunk
  19. pitch — a sports field
  20. root — of a plant
  21. root — the cause
  22. tube — a container
  23. track — a song
  24. bass — the instrument

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