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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 120 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. The King held a masked ________________.
  2. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  3. I'll be taking the ________________.
  4. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  5. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  6. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  7. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  8. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  9. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  10. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  11. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  12. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  13. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  14. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  15. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  16. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  17. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  18. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  19. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  20. The ________________ market has crashed.
  21. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  22. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  23. The light ________________ burned out.
  24. I've got to change the light ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a dance
  2. pound — a weight
  3. tube — the underground
  4. pound — for dogs
  5. tube — in a tire
  6. firm — a company
  7. bulb — of a plant
  8. stock — a soup base
  9. rest — what's left
  10. ball — a round shape
  11. rest — a break
  12. file — a tool
  13. ball — a great time
  14. tube — a container
  15. rest — what's left
  16. firm — decided
  17. pound — to hit hard
  18. file — a document
  19. stock — goods
  20. stock — shares
  21. file — a line of people
  22. firm — steady
  23. bulb — for light
  24. bulb — for light

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