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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 want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  2. I'll be taking the ________________.
  3. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  4. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  5. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  6. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  7. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  8. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  9. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  10. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  11. You don't need to ________________ round.
  12. We're almost out of ________________.
  13. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  14. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  15. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  16. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  17. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  18. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  19. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  20. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  21. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  22. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  23. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  24. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — a container
  2. tube — the underground
  3. pound — a weight
  4. capital — a city
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. pitch — a sales talk
  7. file — a tool
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. patient — calm and waiting
  10. pound — for dogs
  11. pop — to visit
  12. pop — soda
  13. file — a document
  14. capital — a big letter
  15. tube — in a tire
  16. pound — to hit hard
  17. capital — money
  18. pop — music
  19. mark — a grade
  20. pitch — a sports field
  21. file — a line of people
  22. pitch — completely
  23. mark — a trace
  24. mark — to pay attention

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