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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 116 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. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  3. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  4. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  5. Did you ________________ the button?
  6. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  7. It's one o'clock ________________.
  8. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  9. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  10. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  11. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  12. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  13. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  14. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  15. Don't do anything ________________.
  16. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  17. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  18. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  19. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  20. You don't need to ________________ round.
  21. We're almost out of ________________.
  22. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  23. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  24. I'll be taking the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — a container
  2. wind — moving air
  3. rash — a series
  4. sharp — clever
  5. press — to push
  6. tube — in a tire
  7. sharp — exactly
  8. sharp — with an edge
  9. rash — on the skin
  10. wind — moving air
  11. pop — music
  12. wind — to turn a key
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. press — newspapers
  15. rash — hasty
  16. track — a path
  17. track — to keep track
  18. patient — calm and waiting
  19. track — a song
  20. pop — to visit
  21. pop — soda
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. press — a publisher
  24. tube — the underground

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