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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 want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  2. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  3. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  4. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  5. He works in a ________________ mill.
  6. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  7. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  8. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  9. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  10. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  11. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  12. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  13. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  14. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  15. I'll be taking the ________________.
  16. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  17. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  20. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  21. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  22. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  23. She's very handy with a ________________.
  24. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — a container
  2. wind — moving air
  3. tube — in a tire
  4. pound — to hit hard
  5. saw — the tool
  6. game — wild animals
  7. pound — for dogs
  8. track — a song
  9. mark — to pay attention
  10. track — a path
  11. mark — a trace
  12. track — to keep track
  13. deal — to handle
  14. saw — past of 'see'
  15. tube — the underground
  16. mark — a grade
  17. pound — a weight
  18. game — a match
  19. deal — an agreement
  20. deal — a big deal
  21. wind — moving air
  22. game — a kind of play
  23. saw — the tool
  24. wind — to turn a key

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