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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. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  3. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  4. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  5. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  6. I'll be taking the ________________.
  7. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  8. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  9. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  10. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  11. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  12. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  13. When are we going to ________________?
  14. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  15. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  16. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  17. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  18. False peace will not ________________.
  19. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  20. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  21. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  22. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  23. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  24. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — a container
  2. last — final
  3. last — finally
  4. track — a path
  5. hand — help
  6. tube — the underground
  7. fan — to cool the air
  8. snap — to speak sharply
  9. club — for dancing
  10. hand — in cards
  11. tube — in a tire
  12. club — a group
  13. land — to come down
  14. club — for golf
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. hand — part of the body
  17. land — a country
  18. last — to go on
  19. land — ground
  20. snap — to snap out of it
  21. track — to keep track
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. track — a song
  24. snap — to click

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