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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 120 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. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  3. I'll be taking the ________________.
  4. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  5. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  6. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  7. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  8. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  9. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  10. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  11. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  12. When are we going to ________________?
  13. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  14. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  15. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  16. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  17. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  18. Where did you ________________ them?
  19. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  20. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  21. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  22. My father caught me by the ________________.
  23. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  24. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — a container
  2. band — a music group
  3. tube — the underground
  4. scale — size or range
  5. pit — a fruit stone
  6. tube — in a tire
  7. track — to keep track
  8. band — a rubber band
  9. pit — a hole
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. mug — a cup
  12. land — to come down
  13. track — a path
  14. arm — a part of something
  15. band — a ring
  16. scale — for weighing
  17. scale — in music
  18. mug — to rob
  19. track — a song
  20. pit — in a race
  21. land — ground
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. mug — a face
  24. land — a country

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