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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 is an ace ________________.
  2. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  3. I'll be taking the ________________.
  4. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  5. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  6. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  7. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  8. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  9. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  10. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  11. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  12. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  13. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  14. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  15. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  16. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  17. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  18. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  19. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  20. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  21. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  22. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  23. I can't ________________ this cold.
  24. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — in baseball
  2. rest — a break
  3. tube — the underground
  4. track — a path
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. tube — in a tire
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. track — to keep track
  9. stand — on your feet
  10. mine — for digging
  11. fine — all right
  12. rest — what's left
  13. fine — high quality
  14. mine — an explosive
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. mine — belonging to me
  18. calf — of the leg
  19. track — a song
  20. stand — for spectators
  21. fine — a penalty
  22. tube — a container
  23. stand — to bear
  24. rest — what's left

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