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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. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  2. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  3. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  4. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  5. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  6. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  7. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  8. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  9. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  10. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  11. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  12. When are we going to ________________?
  13. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  14. I'll be taking the ________________.
  15. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  16. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  17. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  18. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  19. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  20. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  21. That must've been a ________________.
  22. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  23. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  24. Take your time. There's no ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. land — a country
  2. track — a path
  3. track — to keep track
  4. track — a song
  5. rest — what's left
  6. rush — to hurry
  7. squash — to crush
  8. net — after costs
  9. net — for catching
  10. net — in sport
  11. land — ground
  12. land — to come down
  13. squash — the sport
  14. tube — the underground
  15. rest — a break
  16. band — a rubber band
  17. tube — in a tire
  18. rest — what's left
  19. band — a ring
  20. tube — a container
  21. rush — a thrill
  22. band — a music group
  23. squash — the vegetable
  24. rush — hurry

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