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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 want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  2. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  3. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  4. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  5. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  6. I'll be taking the ________________.
  7. You don't need to ________________ round.
  8. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  9. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  10. We're almost out of ________________.
  11. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  12. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  13. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  14. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  15. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  16. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  17. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  18. There's no middle ________________.
  19. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  20. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  21. David sat on the ________________.
  22. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  23. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  24. That was a fun ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — a container
  2. tube — in a tire
  3. file — a line of people
  4. game — a kind of play
  5. chest — a box
  6. tube — the underground
  7. pop — to visit
  8. ground — the earth
  9. file — a tool
  10. pop — soda
  11. pound — a weight
  12. chest — of your body
  13. ground — crushed
  14. file — a document
  15. pound — to hit hard
  16. swing — music
  17. pound — for dogs
  18. ground — a position
  19. swing — in golf
  20. pop — music
  21. swing — to play on
  22. game — wild animals
  23. chest — of your body
  24. game — a match

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