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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 116 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 need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  2. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  3. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  4. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  5. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  6. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  7. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  8. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  9. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  10. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  11. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  12. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  13. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  14. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  15. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  16. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  17. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  18. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  19. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  20. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  21. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  22. I'll be taking the ________________.
  23. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  24. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — in a tire
  2. squash — to crush
  3. cap — of ice
  4. pass — a permit
  5. snap — to click
  6. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  7. kid — to tease
  8. track — a path
  9. cap — a hat
  10. pound — a weight
  11. squash — the sport
  12. cap — a lid
  13. pass — to spend time
  14. tube — a container
  15. pound — for dogs
  16. pound — to hit hard
  17. pass — to succeed
  18. snap — to speak sharply
  19. track — to keep track
  20. squash — the vegetable
  21. track — a song
  22. tube — the underground
  23. kid — child
  24. snap — to snap out of it

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