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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. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  2. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  3. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  4. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  5. I'll be taking the ________________.
  6. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  7. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  8. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  9. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  10. When are we going to ________________?
  11. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  12. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  13. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  14. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  15. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  16. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  17. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  18. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  19. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  20. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  21. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  22. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  23. The King held a masked ________________.
  24. The water is too ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — completely
  2. ball — a round shape
  3. toast — the most admired
  4. can — to be able to
  5. tube — the underground
  6. pitch — a sports field
  7. can — a tin
  8. pitch — a sales talk
  9. can — a tin
  10. land — to come down
  11. cold — an illness
  12. land — a country
  13. ball — a great time
  14. toast — a drink to someone
  15. pound — a weight
  16. toast — bread
  17. tube — in a tire
  18. land — ground
  19. pound — to hit hard
  20. pound — for dogs
  21. cold — the Cold War
  22. tube — a container
  23. ball — a dance
  24. cold — not warm

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