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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. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  2. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  3. That was a fun ________________.
  4. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  5. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  6. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  7. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  8. Did you ________________ the meat?
  9. Where did you ________________ them?
  10. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  11. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  12. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  13. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  14. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  15. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  16. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  17. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  18. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  19. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  20. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  21. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  22. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  23. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  24. I'll be taking the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a cup
  2. track — a song
  3. game — a match
  4. game — wild animals
  5. season — in sport
  6. scale — in music
  7. craft — a handicraft
  8. season — to add flavour
  9. mug — to rob
  10. scale — size or range
  11. wind — moving air
  12. wind — moving air
  13. track — a path
  14. wind — to turn a key
  15. mug — a face
  16. craft — boats
  17. tube — in a tire
  18. scale — for weighing
  19. tube — a container
  20. track — to keep track
  21. craft — a skill
  22. game — a kind of play
  23. season — of the year
  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