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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'll be taking the ________________.
  2. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  3. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  4. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  5. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  6. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  7. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  8. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  9. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  10. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  11. When are we going to ________________?
  12. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  13. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  14. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  15. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  16. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  19. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  20. What do you think of the new ________________?
  21. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  22. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  23. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  24. She's sitting on a gold ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — the underground
  2. firm — decided
  3. mine — belonging to me
  4. track — a song
  5. land — ground
  6. tube — a container
  7. track — to keep track
  8. bank — for money
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. tube — in a tire
  11. land — to come down
  12. bank — for money
  13. firm — a company
  14. land — a country
  15. cabinet — a cupboard
  16. file — a tool
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. firm — steady
  19. track — a path
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. file — a document
  22. bank — of a river
  23. file — a line of people
  24. mine — for digging

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