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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'll be taking the ________________.
  2. You don't need to ________________ round.
  3. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  4. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  5. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  6. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  7. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  8. We're almost out of ________________.
  9. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  10. When are we going to ________________?
  11. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  12. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  13. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  14. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  15. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  16. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  17. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  18. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  19. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  20. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  21. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  22. When was this ________________ built?
  23. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  24. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — the underground
  2. pop — to visit
  3. pound — a weight
  4. land — ground
  5. face — to point toward
  6. tube — a container
  7. land — a country
  8. pop — soda
  9. band — a music group
  10. land — to come down
  11. toast — the most admired
  12. face — part of the head
  13. band — a rubber band
  14. pound — for dogs
  15. toast — a drink to someone
  16. toast — bread
  17. face — to confront
  18. pound — to hit hard
  19. band — a ring
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. tube — in a tire
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. temple — side of the head
  24. pop — music

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