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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. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  2. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  4. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  5. When are we going to ________________?
  6. That was a fun ________________.
  7. The tickets are free of ________________.
  8. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  9. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  10. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  11. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  12. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  13. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  14. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  15. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  16. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  17. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  18. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  19. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  20. He is an ace ________________.
  21. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  22. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  23. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  24. I'll be taking the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a song
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. track — a path
  4. tube — in a tire
  5. land — to come down
  6. game — a match
  7. charge — a price
  8. land — a country
  9. land — ground
  10. squash — to crush
  11. tube — a container
  12. track — to keep track
  13. degree — temperature
  14. degree — an amount
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. game — wild animals
  17. degree — from a university
  18. charge — in control
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. pitcher — in baseball
  21. squash — the sport
  22. squash — the vegetable
  23. charge — electricity
  24. tube — the underground

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