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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. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  2. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  3. We're almost out of ________________.
  4. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  5. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  6. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  7. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  8. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  9. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  10. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  11. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  12. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  13. You don't need to ________________ round.
  14. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  15. I'll be taking the ________________.
  16. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  17. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  18. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  19. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  20. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  21. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  22. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  23. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  24. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a professorship
  2. tube — in a tire
  3. pop — soda
  4. wound — past of 'wind'
  5. club — for golf
  6. track — a song
  7. deal — an agreement
  8. track — to keep track
  9. track — a path
  10. pop — music
  11. prune — to trim
  12. deal — a big deal
  13. pop — to visit
  14. chair — a leader
  15. tube — the underground
  16. wound — an injury
  17. chair — to sit on
  18. deal — to handle
  19. prune — to trim
  20. prune — the fruit
  21. tube — a container
  22. club — for dancing
  23. wound — an injury
  24. club — a group

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