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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 116 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 keeps ________________ of his days.
  2. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  3. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  4. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  5. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  8. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  9. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  10. Don't do anything ________________.
  11. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  12. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  13. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  14. I'll be taking the ________________.
  15. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  16. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  17. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  18. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  19. Did you ________________ the button?
  20. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  21. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  22. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  23. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  24. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.

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

Answer key

  1. track — to keep track
  2. bass — the fish
  3. tube — a container
  4. cap — a lid
  5. bass — low music
  6. last — to go on
  7. press — a publisher
  8. bass — the instrument
  9. bowl — a dish
  10. rash — hasty
  11. cap — of ice
  12. track — a path
  13. cap — a hat
  14. tube — the underground
  15. rash — on the skin
  16. last — finally
  17. rash — a series
  18. last — final
  19. press — to push
  20. bowl — a football final
  21. track — a song
  22. press — newspapers
  23. bowl — to roll
  24. tube — in a tire

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