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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: game · tube · press · cabinet · track · stick · clip · roll

  1. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  2. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  3. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  4. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  5. That was a fun ________________.
  6. I'll be taking the ________________.
  7. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  8. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  9. We're on a ________________ here.
  10. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  11. What do you think of the new ________________?
  12. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  13. Did you ________________ the button?
  14. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  15. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  16. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  17. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  18. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  19. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  20. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  21. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  22. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  23. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  24. Hold the papers together with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a path
  2. tube — in a tire
  3. game — wild animals
  4. roll — a cake
  5. game — a match
  6. tube — the underground
  7. game — a kind of play
  8. clip — to cut
  9. roll — on a roll
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. tube — a container
  13. press — to push
  14. cabinet — a cupboard
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. roll — a list
  17. press — a publisher
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. track — to keep track
  20. press — newspapers
  21. clip — a video
  22. stick — to attach or keep to
  23. track — a song
  24. clip — for paper

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