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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. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  3. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  4. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  5. He works in a ________________ mill.
  6. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  7. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  8. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  9. She's very handy with a ________________.
  10. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  11. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  12. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  13. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  14. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  15. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  16. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  17. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  18. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  19. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  20. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  21. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  22. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  23. False peace will not ________________.
  24. I can't ________________ this cold.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — the underground
  2. pound — to hit hard
  3. stand — for spectators
  4. bowl — a football final
  5. saw — the tool
  6. saw — past of 'see'
  7. last — final
  8. tear — from crying
  9. saw — the tool
  10. pound — a weight
  11. stand — on your feet
  12. last — finally
  13. tube — in a tire
  14. pound — for dogs
  15. tear — from crying
  16. object — a thing
  17. object — to protest
  18. tear — to rip
  19. bowl — a dish
  20. bowl — to roll
  21. tube — a container
  22. object — an aim
  23. last — to go on
  24. stand — to bear

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