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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. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  2. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  3. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  4. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  5. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  6. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  7. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  8. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  9. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  10. The King held a masked ________________.
  11. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  12. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  13. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  14. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  15. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  16. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  17. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  18. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  19. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  20. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  21. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  22. The ________________ market has crashed.
  23. I'll be taking the ________________.
  24. False peace will not ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. last — final
  3. ball — a round shape
  4. tube — in a tire
  5. field — a subject
  6. staff — employees
  7. tube — a container
  8. wind — to turn a key
  9. staff — employees
  10. ball — a dance
  11. pitch — a sales talk
  12. ball — a great time
  13. stock — a soup base
  14. wind — moving air
  15. field — farmland
  16. pitch — a sports field
  17. last — finally
  18. staff — a stick
  19. pitch — completely
  20. field — for sport
  21. stock — goods
  22. stock — shares
  23. tube — the underground
  24. last — to go 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