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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 ________________ to install the towel rack.
  3. You don't need to ________________ round.
  4. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  5. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  6. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  7. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  8. I'll be taking the ________________.
  9. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  10. Did you ________________ the button?
  11. That must've been a ________________.
  12. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  13. We're almost out of ________________.
  14. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  15. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  16. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  17. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  18. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  19. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  20. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  21. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  22. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  23. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  24. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — a container
  2. drill — the tool
  3. pop — to visit
  4. field — farmland
  5. rush — hurry
  6. pop — music
  7. press — newspapers
  8. tube — the underground
  9. scale — size or range
  10. press — to push
  11. rush — a thrill
  12. cue — for pool
  13. pop — soda
  14. press — a publisher
  15. cue — a hint
  16. scale — for weighing
  17. drill — a practice
  18. field — a subject
  19. rush — to hurry
  20. scale — in music
  21. cue — a signal
  22. field — for sport
  23. drill — army training
  24. tube — in a tire

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