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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. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  2. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  3. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  4. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  5. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  6. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  7. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  8. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  9. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  10. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  11. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  12. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  13. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  14. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  15. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  16. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  17. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  18. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  19. I'll be taking the ________________.
  20. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  21. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  22. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  23. That was a fun ________________.
  24. Tom got himself in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a song
  2. tube — in a tire
  3. band — a rubber band
  4. band — a ring
  5. tube — a container
  6. club — for dancing
  7. game — wild animals
  8. track — a path
  9. current — of water
  10. race — the arms race
  11. band — a music group
  12. game — a kind of play
  13. club — a group
  14. current — electric
  15. race — a contest
  16. current — happening now
  17. jam — in traffic
  18. club — for golf
  19. tube — the underground
  20. race — humankind
  21. track — to keep track
  22. jam — to spread on bread
  23. game — a match
  24. jam — a tight spot

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