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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. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  2. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  3. I'll be taking the ________________.
  4. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  5. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  6. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  7. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  8. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  9. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  10. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  11. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  12. How do you ________________ your surname?
  13. The King held a masked ________________.
  14. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  15. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  16. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  17. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  18. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  19. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  20. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  21. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  22. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  23. That was a fun ________________.
  24. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — music
  2. pound — to hit hard
  3. tube — the underground
  4. pound — a weight
  5. kick — a thrill
  6. tube — a container
  7. spell — a short time
  8. tube — in a tire
  9. march — music
  10. march — the month
  11. kick — with a leg
  12. spell — letters
  13. ball — a dance
  14. rock — a stone
  15. march — the month
  16. ball — a round shape
  17. pound — for dogs
  18. kick — in football
  19. ball — a great time
  20. rock — to move gently
  21. game — a kind of play
  22. game — wild animals
  23. game — a match
  24. spell — magic

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