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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 124 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. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  3. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  4. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  5. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  6. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  7. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  8. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  9. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  10. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  11. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  12. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  13. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  14. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  15. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  16. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  17. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  18. I'll be taking the ________________.
  19. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  20. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  21. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  22. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  23. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  24. Can you turn the ________________ on?

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

Answer key

  1. tube — a container
  2. track — a path
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. track — to keep track
  6. capital — money
  7. snap — to snap out of it
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. snap — to click
  10. track — a song
  11. mouse — for a computer
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. tube — in a tire
  15. pitch — a sales talk
  16. capital — a big letter
  17. pitch — a sports field
  18. tube — the underground
  19. hide — animal skin
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. capital — a city
  22. snap — to speak sharply
  23. pitch — completely
  24. fan — to cool the air

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