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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. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  2. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  3. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  4. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  5. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  6. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  7. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  8. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  9. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  10. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  11. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  12. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  13. The King held a masked ________________.
  14. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  15. He is an ace ________________.
  16. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  18. I'll be taking the ________________.
  19. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  20. The ________________ went through the wall.
  21. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  22. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  23. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  24. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.

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

Answer key

  1. net — in sport
  2. track — a path
  3. chair — to sit on
  4. tube — in a tire
  5. track — to keep track
  6. squash — to crush
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. net — after costs
  9. chair — a professorship
  10. track — a song
  11. tube — a container
  12. squash — the vegetable
  13. ball — a dance
  14. net — for catching
  15. pitcher — in baseball
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. tube — the underground
  19. ball — a round shape
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. nail — on a finger
  22. chair — a leader
  23. squash — the sport
  24. ball — a great time

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