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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. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  2. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  3. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  4. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  5. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  6. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  7. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  8. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  9. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  10. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  11. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  12. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  13. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  14. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  15. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  16. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  17. When are we going to ________________?
  18. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  19. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  20. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  21. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  22. I'll be taking the ________________.
  23. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  24. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a tool
  2. face — to confront
  3. band — a ring
  4. cue — for pool
  5. squash — the sport
  6. squash — the vegetable
  7. band — a music group
  8. file — a document
  9. mark — to pay attention
  10. band — a rubber band
  11. cue — a signal
  12. mark — a trace
  13. tube — a container
  14. squash — to crush
  15. tube — in a tire
  16. face — part of the head
  17. land — to come down
  18. face — to point toward
  19. cue — a hint
  20. land — a country
  21. mark — a grade
  22. tube — the underground
  23. file — a line of people
  24. land — ground

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