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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 can't ________________ this cold.
  2. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  3. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  4. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  5. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  6. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  7. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  8. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  9. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  10. I'll be taking the ________________.
  11. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  12. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  13. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  14. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  15. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  16. There's no middle ________________.
  17. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  18. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  19. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  20. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  21. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  22. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  23. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  24. That must've been a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — to bear
  2. bat — in an idiom
  3. rush — hurry
  4. bat — for baseball
  5. track — a path
  6. bat — the animal
  7. ground — crushed
  8. track — a song
  9. tube — a container
  10. tube — the underground
  11. ground — the earth
  12. rush — to hurry
  13. stand — on your feet
  14. squash — to crush
  15. pound — to hit hard
  16. ground — a position
  17. track — to keep track
  18. pound — for dogs
  19. stand — for spectators
  20. squash — the sport
  21. squash — the vegetable
  22. tube — in a tire
  23. pound — a weight
  24. rush — a thrill

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