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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. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  2. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  3. The King held a masked ________________.
  4. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  5. I'll be taking the ________________.
  6. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  7. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  8. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  9. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  10. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  11. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  12. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  13. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  14. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  15. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  16. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  17. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  18. Have you found your soul ________________?
  19. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  20. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  21. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  22. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  23. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  24. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — to hit hard
  2. tube — in a tire
  3. ball — a dance
  4. snap — to speak sharply
  5. tube — the underground
  6. fan — to cool the air
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. ball — a great time
  9. race — humankind
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. snap — to snap out of it
  12. ball — a round shape
  13. pound — a weight
  14. dip — to sink
  15. dip — to dunk
  16. tube — a container
  17. race — the arms race
  18. mate — a partner
  19. mate — a friend
  20. dip — a sauce
  21. race — a contest
  22. snap — to click
  23. pound — for dogs
  24. mate — to breed

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