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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: rest · racket · wind · pitch · pound · content · mine · tube

  1. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  3. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  4. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  5. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  6. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  7. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  8. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  9. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  10. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  11. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  12. I'll be taking the ________________.
  13. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  14. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  15. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  16. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  17. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  18. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  19. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  20. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  21. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  22. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  23. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  24. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — an explosive
  2. tube — in a tire
  3. mine — belonging to me
  4. pitch — completely
  5. rest — what's left
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. pound — to hit hard
  9. mine — for digging
  10. content — the amount
  11. wind — to turn a key
  12. tube — the underground
  13. racket — a loud noise
  14. rest — a break
  15. pitch — a sales talk
  16. wind — moving air
  17. content — happy
  18. content — videos and posts
  19. pound — a weight
  20. pound — for dogs
  21. tube — a container
  22. rest — what's left
  23. pitch — a sports field
  24. wind — moving air

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