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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. I'll be taking the ________________.
  2. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  3. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  4. How do you ________________ your surname?
  5. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  6. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  7. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  8. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  9. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  10. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  11. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  12. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  13. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  14. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  15. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  16. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  17. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  18. My father caught me by the ________________.
  19. That was ________________ to happen.
  20. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  21. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  22. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  23. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  24. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — the underground
  2. bound — tied together
  3. tube — a container
  4. spell — letters
  5. firm — steady
  6. firm — a company
  7. mark — to pay attention
  8. spell — a short time
  9. firm — decided
  10. tube — in a tire
  11. field — a subject
  12. spell — magic
  13. field — for sport
  14. field — farmland
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. fan — to cool the air
  17. bound — obliged
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. bound — certain
  20. mark — a grade
  21. mark — a trace
  22. arm — a part of something
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. arm — part of the body

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