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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. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  2. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  3. I'll be taking the ________________.
  4. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  5. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  6. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  7. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  8. This piece is in a major ________________.
  9. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  10. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  11. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  12. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  13. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  14. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  15. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  16. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  17. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  18. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  19. When are we going to ________________?
  20. The King held a masked ________________.
  21. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  22. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  23. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  24. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — the season
  2. fall — to drop
  3. tube — the underground
  4. squash — the vegetable
  5. fall — to drop
  6. clip — to cut
  7. key — the most important part
  8. key — in music
  9. key — for a lock
  10. ball — a round shape
  11. ball — a great time
  12. pound — for dogs
  13. pound — a weight
  14. land — a country
  15. clip — a video
  16. squash — to crush
  17. tube — in a tire
  18. land — ground
  19. land — to come down
  20. ball — a dance
  21. clip — for paper
  22. squash — the sport
  23. pound — to hit hard
  24. tube — a container

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