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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. You don't need to ________________ round.
  2. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  3. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  4. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  5. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  6. When will it ________________ you to start?
  7. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. He works in a ________________ mill.
  10. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  11. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  12. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  13. She's very handy with a ________________.
  14. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  15. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  16. I'll be taking the ________________.
  17. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  18. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  19. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  20. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  21. We're almost out of ________________.
  22. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  23. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  24. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — to visit
  2. tube — in a tire
  3. mine — belonging to me
  4. stick — to attach or keep to
  5. suit — clothes
  6. suit — to fit
  7. squash — to crush
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. saw — the tool
  10. pop — music
  11. staff — employees
  12. staff — employees
  13. saw — the tool
  14. saw — past of 'see'
  15. squash — the vegetable
  16. tube — the underground
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. squash — the sport
  20. mine — for digging
  21. pop — soda
  22. tube — a container
  23. staff — a stick
  24. suit — in cards

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