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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. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  2. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  3. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  4. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  5. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  6. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  7. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  8. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  9. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  12. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  13. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  14. I'll be taking the ________________.
  15. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  16. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  17. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  18. He is an ace ________________.
  19. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  20. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  21. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  22. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  23. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  24. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — a container
  2. field — a subject
  3. bowl — a dish
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. firm — decided
  6. track — a path
  7. firm — a company
  8. cue — a hint
  9. spring — of water
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. bowl — to roll
  12. cue — for pool
  13. bowl — a football final
  14. tube — the underground
  15. spring — the season
  16. spring — a coil
  17. track — to keep track
  18. pitcher — in baseball
  19. firm — steady
  20. tube — in a tire
  21. field — for sport
  22. field — farmland
  23. track — a song
  24. cue — a signal

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