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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 120 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. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  2. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  3. When will it ________________ you to start?
  4. When are we going to ________________?
  5. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  6. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  7. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  8. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  9. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  10. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  11. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  12. We're almost out of ________________.
  13. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  14. There's no middle ________________.
  15. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  16. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  17. I can't ________________ this cold.
  18. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  19. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  20. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  21. You don't need to ________________ round.
  22. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  23. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  24. I'll be taking the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — music
  2. tube — a container
  3. suit — to fit
  4. land — to come down
  5. pit — a fruit stone
  6. pit — in a race
  7. tear — from crying
  8. tear — to rip
  9. suit — in cards
  10. tear — from crying
  11. stand — on your feet
  12. pop — soda
  13. tube — in a tire
  14. ground — a position
  15. ground — the earth
  16. pit — a hole
  17. stand — to bear
  18. suit — clothes
  19. land — a country
  20. stand — for spectators
  21. pop — to visit
  22. land — ground
  23. ground — crushed
  24. tube — the underground

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