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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 116 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. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  3. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  4. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  5. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  6. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  7. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  8. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  9. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  10. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  11. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  12. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  13. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  14. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  15. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  16. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  17. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  18. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  19. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  20. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  21. The ball is in your ________________.
  22. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  23. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  24. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — the underground
  2. bat — for baseball
  3. track — a song
  4. mark — a grade
  5. bank — for money
  6. tube — in a tire
  7. mark — a trace
  8. club — for dancing
  9. court — of a king
  10. bank — for money
  11. bank — of a river
  12. club — for golf
  13. court — of law
  14. tube — a container
  15. bat — the animal
  16. track — a path
  17. mark — to pay attention
  18. wound — an injury
  19. wound — an injury
  20. track — to keep track
  21. court — for sport
  22. wound — past of 'wind'
  23. club — a group
  24. bat — in an idiom

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