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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. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  2. That must've been a ________________.
  3. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  4. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  5. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  6. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  7. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  8. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  9. I'll be taking the ________________.
  10. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  11. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  12. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  13. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  14. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  15. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  16. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  17. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  18. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  19. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  20. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  21. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  22. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  23. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  24. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.

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

Answer key

  1. field — for sport
  2. rush — a thrill
  3. leaves — to go away
  4. rush — to hurry
  5. tube — in a tire
  6. tube — a container
  7. field — farmland
  8. spring — of water
  9. tube — the underground
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. rush — hurry
  12. chip — for betting
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. spring — the season
  15. field — a subject
  16. pitch — completely
  17. spring — a coil
  18. leaves — lets stay
  19. pitch — a sports field
  20. mouse — for a computer
  21. leaves — of a tree
  22. chip — to eat
  23. chip — in a computer
  24. pitch — a sales talk

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