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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 need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  2. You don't need to ________________ round.
  3. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  4. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  5. I'll be taking the ________________.
  6. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  7. How do you ________________ your surname?
  8. That must've been a ________________.
  9. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  10. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  11. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  12. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  13. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  14. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  15. He was locked up in a ________________.
  16. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  17. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  18. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  19. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  20. We're almost out of ________________.
  21. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  22. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  23. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  24. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — in a tire
  2. pop — to visit
  3. deal — an agreement
  4. straw — dry grass
  5. tube — the underground
  6. cell — in biology
  7. spell — letters
  8. rush — a thrill
  9. pound — to hit hard
  10. spell — magic
  11. rush — to hurry
  12. pound — a weight
  13. straw — to clutch at straws
  14. cell — a phone
  15. cell — in a prison
  16. rush — hurry
  17. straw — a straw man
  18. spell — a short time
  19. tube — a container
  20. pop — soda
  21. deal — a big deal
  22. pop — music
  23. deal — to handle
  24. pound — for dogs

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