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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. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  2. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  3. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  4. The King held a masked ________________.
  5. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  6. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  7. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  8. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  9. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  10. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  11. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  12. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  13. That must've been a ________________.
  14. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  15. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  16. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  17. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  18. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  19. I'll be taking the ________________.
  20. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  21. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  22. That was ________________ to happen.
  23. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  24. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — hurry
  2. pound — to hit hard
  3. file — a line of people
  4. ball — a dance
  5. tube — in a tire
  6. pit — a fruit stone
  7. ball — a round shape
  8. dip — to dunk
  9. rush — to hurry
  10. bound — tied together
  11. pit — a hole
  12. bound — obliged
  13. rush — a thrill
  14. tube — a container
  15. dip — to sink
  16. file — a document
  17. pound — a weight
  18. ball — a great time
  19. tube — the underground
  20. dip — a sauce
  21. pound — for dogs
  22. bound — certain
  23. pit — in a race
  24. file — a tool

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