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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. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  2. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  3. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  4. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  5. I'll be taking the ________________.
  6. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  7. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  8. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  9. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  10. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  11. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  12. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  13. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  14. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  15. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  16. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  17. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  18. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  19. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  20. There's no middle ________________.
  21. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  22. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  23. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  24. That was a fun ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — part of the body
  2. ground — crushed
  3. hand — in cards
  4. tube — a container
  5. tube — the underground
  6. wake — a trail
  7. track — a path
  8. mark — a grade
  9. wake — before a funeral
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. game — wild animals
  12. wake — to stop sleeping
  13. game — a kind of play
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. ground — the earth
  16. mark — to pay attention
  17. tube — in a tire
  18. mark — a trace
  19. track — to keep track
  20. ground — a position
  21. patient — calm and waiting
  22. track — a song
  23. hand — help
  24. game — a match

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