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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'll be taking the ________________.
  2. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  3. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  4. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  5. Where did you ________________ them?
  6. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  7. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  8. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  9. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  10. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  11. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  12. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  13. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  14. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  15. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  16. There's no middle ________________.
  17. You don't need to ________________ round.
  18. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  19. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  20. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  21. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  22. We're almost out of ________________.
  23. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  24. What was your ________________ profit last year?

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

Answer key

  1. tube — the underground
  2. ground — the earth
  3. pit — a fruit stone
  4. tube — in a tire
  5. mug — to rob
  6. bass — the fish
  7. dip — to dunk
  8. ground — crushed
  9. pit — in a race
  10. mug — a face
  11. dip — a sauce
  12. bass — the instrument
  13. tube — a container
  14. net — for catching
  15. pop — music
  16. ground — a position
  17. pop — to visit
  18. bass — low music
  19. net — in sport
  20. pit — a hole
  21. dip — to sink
  22. pop — soda
  23. mug — a cup
  24. net — after costs

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