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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: tube · deal · cap · ground · sharp · rest · mug · track

  1. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  2. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  3. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  4. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  5. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  6. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  7. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  8. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  9. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  10. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  11. It's one o'clock ________________.
  12. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  13. Where did you ________________ them?
  14. I'll be taking the ________________.
  15. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  16. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  17. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  18. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  19. There's no middle ________________.
  20. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  21. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  22. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  23. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  24. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — an agreement
  2. ground — the earth
  3. mug — a cup
  4. sharp — clever
  5. sharp — with an edge
  6. ground — crushed
  7. track — a path
  8. mug — a face
  9. tube — in a tire
  10. cap — a hat
  11. sharp — exactly
  12. track — to keep track
  13. mug — to rob
  14. tube — the underground
  15. cap — of ice
  16. deal — a big deal
  17. cap — a lid
  18. tube — a container
  19. ground — a position
  20. rest — what's left
  21. rest — a break
  22. track — a song
  23. rest — what's left
  24. deal — to handle

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