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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. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  3. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  4. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  5. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  6. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  7. Where did you ________________ them?
  8. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  9. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  10. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  11. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  12. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  13. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  14. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  15. That was ________________ to happen.
  16. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  17. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  18. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  19. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  20. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  21. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  22. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  23. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  24. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — the underground
  2. rock — to move gently
  3. mug — a face
  4. bound — obliged
  5. tube — a container
  6. rock — music
  7. mug — to rob
  8. wake — before a funeral
  9. club — a group
  10. tube — in a tire
  11. track — a path
  12. scale — size or range
  13. wake — to stop sleeping
  14. bound — tied together
  15. bound — certain
  16. mug — a cup
  17. club — for golf
  18. wake — a trail
  19. scale — in music
  20. scale — for weighing
  21. rock — a stone
  22. track — to keep track
  23. track — a song
  24. club — for dancing

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