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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'll be taking the ________________.
  2. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  3. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  4. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  5. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  6. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  7. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  8. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  9. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  10. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  11. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  12. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  13. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  14. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  15. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  16. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  17. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  18. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  19. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  20. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  21. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  22. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  23. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  24. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — the underground
  2. squash — to crush
  3. track — a song
  4. squash — the sport
  5. track — to keep track
  6. track — a path
  7. scale — size or range
  8. prune — to trim
  9. tube — a container
  10. scale — in music
  11. squash — the vegetable
  12. tube — in a tire
  13. kick — with a leg
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. kick — a thrill
  16. prune — the fruit
  17. prune — to trim
  18. fan — to cool the air
  19. leaves — of a tree
  20. kick — in football
  21. leaves — to go away
  22. leaves — lets stay
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. scale — for weighing

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