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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. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  5. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  6. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  7. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  8. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  9. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  10. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  11. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  12. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  13. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  14. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  15. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  16. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  17. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  18. I'll be taking the ________________.
  19. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  20. How do you ________________ your surname?
  21. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  22. False peace will not ________________.
  23. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  24. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — a container
  2. shower — a meteor shower
  3. last — final
  4. shower — to wash
  5. chip — in a computer
  6. track — a song
  7. last — finally
  8. chip — to eat
  9. bear — to put up with
  10. pass — to succeed
  11. chip — for betting
  12. track — to keep track
  13. spell — magic
  14. shower — rain
  15. pass — a permit
  16. spell — a short time
  17. bear — the animal
  18. tube — the underground
  19. track — a path
  20. spell — letters
  21. bear — the animal
  22. last — to go on
  23. pass — to spend time
  24. tube — in a tire

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