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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: track · toast · cell · tube · wind · cap · face · kick

  1. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  2. He was locked up in a ________________.
  3. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  4. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  5. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  6. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  7. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  8. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  9. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  10. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  11. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  12. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  13. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  14. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  15. I'll be taking the ________________.
  16. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  17. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  18. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  19. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  20. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  21. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  22. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  23. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  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. track — a path
  2. cell — in a prison
  3. tube — in a tire
  4. toast — bread
  5. wind — to turn a key
  6. kick — a thrill
  7. toast — the most admired
  8. face — part of the head
  9. cap — of ice
  10. face — to point toward
  11. kick — in football
  12. wind — moving air
  13. track — a song
  14. kick — with a leg
  15. tube — the underground
  16. toast — a drink to someone
  17. cell — a phone
  18. cell — in biology
  19. track — to keep track
  20. cap — a lid
  21. face — to confront
  22. wind — moving air
  23. cap — a hat
  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