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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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Word bank
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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: content · tube · pass · game · rock · swing · fan · track

  1. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  2. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  3. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  4. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  5. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  6. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  7. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  8. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  9. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  10. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  11. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  12. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  13. David sat on the ________________.
  14. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  15. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  16. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  17. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  18. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  19. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  20. I'll be taking the ________________.
  21. That was a fun ________________.
  22. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  23. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  24. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — a container
  2. fan — to cool the air
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. rock — music
  5. track — a path
  6. pass — to succeed
  7. content — videos and posts
  8. content — the amount
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. rock — a stone
  11. game — wild animals
  12. swing — in golf
  13. swing — to play on
  14. track — to keep track
  15. game — a kind of play
  16. pass — to spend time
  17. rock — to move gently
  18. tube — in a tire
  19. pass — a permit
  20. tube — the underground
  21. game — a match
  22. track — a song
  23. swing — music
  24. content — happy

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