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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 120 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. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  2. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  3. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  4. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  5. I'll be taking the ________________.
  6. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  7. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  8. That was a fun ________________.
  9. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  10. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  11. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  12. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  13. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  14. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  15. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  16. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  17. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  18. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  19. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  20. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  21. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  22. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  23. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  24. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a song
  2. snap — to speak sharply
  3. pitch — a sales talk
  4. rock — to move gently
  5. tube — the underground
  6. game — a kind of play
  7. tube — a container
  8. game — a match
  9. snap — to snap out of it
  10. rock — a stone
  11. drill — army training
  12. drill — a practice
  13. track — to keep track
  14. pitch — completely
  15. pitch — a sports field
  16. game — wild animals
  17. pound — to hit hard
  18. drill — the tool
  19. pound — for dogs
  20. track — a path
  21. tube — in a tire
  22. rock — music
  23. pound — a weight
  24. snap — to click

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