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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. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  2. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  3. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  4. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  5. He works in a ________________ mill.
  6. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  7. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  8. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  9. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  10. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  11. Did you ________________ the meat?
  12. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  13. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  14. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  15. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  16. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  17. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  18. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  19. She's very handy with a ________________.
  20. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  21. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  22. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  23. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  24. I'll be taking the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. field — for sport
  2. tube — in a tire
  3. saw — past of 'see'
  4. stick — to attach or keep to
  5. saw — the tool
  6. season — of the year
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. mouse — for a computer
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. wake — to stop sleeping
  11. season — to add flavour
  12. wake — before a funeral
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. field — a subject
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. object — an aim
  17. season — in sport
  18. object — to protest
  19. saw — the tool
  20. wake — a trail
  21. tube — a container
  22. object — a thing
  23. field — farmland
  24. tube — the underground

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