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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 116 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: track · bass · cold · tube · mug · firm · pit · rash

  1. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  2. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  3. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  4. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  5. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  6. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  7. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  8. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  9. The water is too ________________.
  10. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  11. I'll be taking the ________________.
  12. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  13. Don't do anything ________________.
  14. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  15. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  16. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  17. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  18. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  19. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  20. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  21. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  22. Where did you ________________ them?
  23. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  24. I play ________________ in a jazz band.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — steady
  2. track — to keep track
  3. bass — the fish
  4. pit — in a race
  5. firm — decided
  6. mug — a face
  7. cold — the Cold War
  8. track — a path
  9. cold — not warm
  10. rash — on the skin
  11. tube — the underground
  12. bass — low music
  13. rash — hasty
  14. tube — in a tire
  15. tube — a container
  16. track — a song
  17. firm — a company
  18. cold — an illness
  19. rash — a series
  20. pit — a hole
  21. mug — a cup
  22. mug — to rob
  23. pit — a fruit stone
  24. bass — the instrument

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