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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 need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  2. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  3. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  4. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  5. When are we going to ________________?
  6. Don't do anything ________________.
  7. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  8. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  9. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  10. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  11. I'll be taking the ________________.
  12. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  13. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  14. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  15. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  16. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  17. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  18. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  19. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  20. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  21. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  22. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  23. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  24. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — in a tire
  2. track — to keep track
  3. object — a thing
  4. rash — a series
  5. land — to come down
  6. rash — hasty
  7. object — to protest
  8. track — a path
  9. march — the month
  10. wind — moving air
  11. tube — the underground
  12. land — a country
  13. firm — decided
  14. land — ground
  15. rash — on the skin
  16. firm — a company
  17. firm — steady
  18. march — music
  19. wind — moving air
  20. track — a song
  21. wind — to turn a key
  22. march — the month
  23. tube — a container
  24. object — an aim

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