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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. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  2. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  3. That must've been a ________________.
  4. You don't need to ________________ round.
  5. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  6. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  7. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  8. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  9. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  10. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  11. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  12. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  13. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  14. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  15. He was locked up in a ________________.
  16. We're almost out of ________________.
  17. I'll be taking the ________________.
  18. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  19. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  20. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  21. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  22. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  23. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  24. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?

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

Answer key

  1. pop — music
  2. cell — in biology
  3. rush — a thrill
  4. pop — to visit
  5. tube — in a tire
  6. mine — an explosive
  7. mine — for digging
  8. present — there
  9. staff — employees
  10. rush — hurry
  11. racket — a loud noise
  12. staff — a stick
  13. cell — a phone
  14. staff — employees
  15. cell — in a prison
  16. pop — soda
  17. tube — the underground
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. mine — belonging to me
  20. rush — to hurry
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. tube — a container
  23. present — the time now
  24. present — a gift

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