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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. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  2. I'll be taking the ________________.
  3. When are we going to ________________?
  4. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  5. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  6. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  7. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  8. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  9. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  10. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  11. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  12. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  13. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  14. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  15. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  16. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  17. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  18. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  19. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  20. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  21. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  22. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  23. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  24. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!

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

Answer key

  1. track — a song
  2. tube — the underground
  3. land — to come down
  4. bear — the animal
  5. track — a path
  6. land — ground
  7. mouse — for a computer
  8. tear — from crying
  9. tube — a container
  10. bat — for baseball
  11. race — a contest
  12. tear — to rip
  13. land — a country
  14. race — the arms race
  15. tear — from crying
  16. race — humankind
  17. bat — in an idiom
  18. bear — the animal
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. bat — the animal
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. tube — in a tire
  23. track — to keep track
  24. bear — to put up with

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