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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. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  2. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  3. I'll be taking the ________________.
  4. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  5. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  6. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  7. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  8. We're almost out of ________________.
  9. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  10. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  11. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  12. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  13. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  14. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  15. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  16. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  17. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  18. Have you found your soul ________________?
  19. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  20. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  21. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  22. You don't need to ________________ round.
  23. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  24. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — a trail
  2. staff — employees
  3. tube — the underground
  4. wake — to stop sleeping
  5. wake — before a funeral
  6. staff — a stick
  7. pound — a weight
  8. pop — soda
  9. pop — music
  10. march — music
  11. mate — a friend
  12. march — the month
  13. row — a quarrel
  14. mate — to breed
  15. row — a line
  16. tube — a container
  17. row — to paddle
  18. mate — a partner
  19. pound — to hit hard
  20. march — the month
  21. tube — in a tire
  22. pop — to visit
  23. staff — employees
  24. pound — for dogs

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