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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. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  2. The water is too ________________.
  3. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  4. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  5. I'll be taking the ________________.
  6. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  7. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  8. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  9. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  10. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  11. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  12. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  13. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  14. The King held a masked ________________.
  15. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  16. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  17. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  18. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  19. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  20. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  21. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  22. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  23. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  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. ruler — a monarch
  2. cold — not warm
  3. trunk — of a car
  4. track — a song
  5. tube — the underground
  6. pound — a weight
  7. pound — for dogs
  8. trunk — of a tree
  9. ball — a round shape
  10. ruler — for measuring
  11. tube — a container
  12. track — to keep track
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. ball — a dance
  15. ruler — for measuring
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. ball — a great time
  18. track — a path
  19. pound — to hit hard
  20. fan — to cool the air
  21. trunk — of an elephant
  22. cold — the Cold War
  23. cold — an illness
  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