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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. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  3. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  4. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  5. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  6. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  7. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  8. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  9. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  10. You don't need to ________________ round.
  11. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  12. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  13. That was a fun ________________.
  14. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  15. I'll be taking the ________________.
  16. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  17. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  18. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  19. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  20. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  21. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  22. We're almost out of ________________.
  23. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  24. When are we going to ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. tube — in a tire
  2. pop — music
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. land — a country
  5. pound — to hit hard
  6. mouse — for a computer
  7. land — ground
  8. pound — a weight
  9. lean — to bend
  10. pop — to visit
  11. lean — to rest against
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. game — a match
  14. lean — thin
  15. tube — the underground
  16. pound — for dogs
  17. track — a song
  18. tube — a container
  19. game — wild animals
  20. game — a kind of play
  21. track — a path
  22. pop — soda
  23. track — to keep track
  24. land — to come down

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