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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. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  2. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  3. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  4. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  5. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  6. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  7. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  8. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  9. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  10. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  11. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  12. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  13. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  14. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  15. He is an ace ________________.
  16. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  17. I'll be taking the ________________.
  18. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  19. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  20. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  21. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  22. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  23. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  24. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. tube — in a tire
  3. track — a path
  4. track — to keep track
  5. calf — of the leg
  6. file — a document
  7. track — a song
  8. capital — money
  9. capital — a big letter
  10. bank — for money
  11. tube — a container
  12. file — a line of people
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. file — a tool
  15. pitcher — in baseball
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. tube — the underground
  18. hide — animal skin
  19. bank — for money
  20. capital — a city
  21. bank — of a river
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. calf — a young animal

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