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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. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  3. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  4. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  5. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  6. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  7. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  8. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  9. The ball is in your ________________.
  10. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  11. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  12. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  13. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  14. The ________________ went through the wall.
  15. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  16. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  17. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  18. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  19. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  20. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  21. That must've been a ________________.
  22. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  23. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  24. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — the underground
  2. pitch — completely
  3. rest — what's left
  4. tube — a container
  5. pitch — a sports field
  6. rush — to hurry
  7. rush — hurry
  8. court — of law
  9. court — for sport
  10. rest — what's left
  11. content — videos and posts
  12. tube — in a tire
  13. nail — on a finger
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. content — the amount
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. court — of a king
  18. field — for sport
  19. content — happy
  20. rest — a break
  21. rush — a thrill
  22. pitch — a sales talk
  23. field — a subject
  24. field — farmland

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