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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. When are we going to ________________?
  2. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  3. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  4. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  5. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  6. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  7. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  8. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  9. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  10. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  11. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  12. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  13. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  14. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  15. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  16. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  17. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  18. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  19. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  20. I'll be taking the ________________.
  21. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  22. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  23. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  24. David sat on the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. land — to come down
  2. land — a country
  3. net — for catching
  4. file — a tool
  5. track — a path
  6. snap — to click
  7. swing — music
  8. track — a song
  9. file — a document
  10. net — after costs
  11. cue — a hint
  12. cue — a signal
  13. cue — for pool
  14. file — a line of people
  15. net — in sport
  16. snap — to speak sharply
  17. tube — a container
  18. swing — in golf
  19. snap — to snap out of it
  20. tube — the underground
  21. track — to keep track
  22. land — ground
  23. tube — in a tire
  24. swing — to play on

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