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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 116 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. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  3. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  4. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  5. The ________________ took off on time.
  6. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  7. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  8. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  9. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  10. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  11. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  12. The water is too ________________.
  13. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  14. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  15. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  16. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  17. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  18. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  19. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  20. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  21. I'll be taking the ________________.
  22. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  23. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  24. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a song
  2. kid — child
  3. track — a path
  4. prune — the fruit
  5. plane — an aircraft
  6. cue — a signal
  7. firm — a company
  8. firm — decided
  9. track — to keep track
  10. cold — the Cold War
  11. tube — a container
  12. cold — not warm
  13. tube — in a tire
  14. kid — to tease
  15. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  16. firm — steady
  17. cue — a hint
  18. cold — an illness
  19. plane — a tool
  20. prune — to trim
  21. tube — the underground
  22. prune — to trim
  23. plane — in geometry
  24. cue — for pool

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