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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 want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  2. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  3. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  4. She's very handy with a ________________.
  5. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  6. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  7. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  8. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  9. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  10. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  11. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  12. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  13. He works in a ________________ mill.
  14. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  15. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  16. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  17. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  18. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  19. The ________________ market has crashed.
  20. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  21. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  22. I'll be taking the ________________.
  23. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  24. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — a container
  2. pitch — completely
  3. wake — a trail
  4. saw — the tool
  5. stock — goods
  6. pitch — a sports field
  7. band — a music group
  8. wake — to stop sleeping
  9. saw — past of 'see'
  10. stock — a soup base
  11. staff — employees
  12. band — a rubber band
  13. saw — the tool
  14. mine — belonging to me
  15. staff — employees
  16. wake — before a funeral
  17. band — a ring
  18. tube — in a tire
  19. stock — shares
  20. mine — an explosive
  21. mine — for digging
  22. tube — the underground
  23. staff — a stick
  24. pitch — a sales talk

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