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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 belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  2. I'll be taking the ________________.
  3. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  4. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  5. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  6. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  7. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  8. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  9. That must've been a ________________.
  10. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  11. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  12. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  13. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  14. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  15. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  16. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  17. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  18. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  19. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  20. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  21. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  22. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  23. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  24. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. club — a group
  2. tube — the underground
  3. content — happy
  4. club — for dancing
  5. object — to protest
  6. wave — of the sea
  7. club — for golf
  8. content — the amount
  9. rush — a thrill
  10. mine — belonging to me
  11. wave — with your hand
  12. mine — an explosive
  13. track — a path
  14. tube — in a tire
  15. rush — hurry
  16. rush — to hurry
  17. object — an aim
  18. tube — a container
  19. wave — a sudden rise
  20. track — a song
  21. track — to keep track
  22. mine — for digging
  23. object — a thing
  24. content — videos and posts

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