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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. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  2. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  3. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  4. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  5. The water is too ________________.
  6. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  7. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  8. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  9. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  10. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  11. I'll be taking the ________________.
  12. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  13. You don't need to ________________ round.
  14. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  15. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  16. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  17. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  18. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  19. When are we going to ________________?
  20. When will it ________________ you to start?
  21. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  22. We're almost out of ________________.
  23. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  24. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a grade
  2. tube — in a tire
  3. pit — a fruit stone
  4. mark — to pay attention
  5. cold — not warm
  6. lash — to lash out
  7. cold — an illness
  8. suit — clothes
  9. lash — a whip stroke
  10. cold — the Cold War
  11. tube — the underground
  12. suit — in cards
  13. pop — to visit
  14. land — ground
  15. pit — in a race
  16. pit — a hole
  17. land — a country
  18. lash — an eyelash
  19. land — to come down
  20. suit — to fit
  21. tube — a container
  22. pop — soda
  23. mark — a trace
  24. pop — music

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