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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. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  2. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  3. I'll be taking the ________________.
  4. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  5. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  6. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  7. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  8. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  9. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  10. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  11. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  12. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  13. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  14. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  15. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  16. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  17. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  18. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  19. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  20. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  21. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  22. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  23. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  24. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.

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

Answer key

  1. present — there
  2. track — a song
  3. tube — the underground
  4. pitch — completely
  5. present — a gift
  6. track — a path
  7. wake — before a funeral
  8. file — a line of people
  9. pitch — a sports field
  10. hand — in cards
  11. file — a tool
  12. present — the time now
  13. pitch — a sales talk
  14. hand — part of the body
  15. wake — a trail
  16. file — a document
  17. tube — a container
  18. wake — to stop sleeping
  19. track — to keep track
  20. snap — to click
  21. hand — help
  22. snap — to speak sharply
  23. tube — in a tire
  24. snap — to snap out of it

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