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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: land · ball · mouse · tube · file · ground · pit · track

  1. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  2. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  3. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  4. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  5. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  6. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  7. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  8. When are we going to ________________?
  9. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  10. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  11. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  12. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  13. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  14. There's no middle ________________.
  15. The King held a masked ________________.
  16. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  17. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  18. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  19. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  20. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  21. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  22. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  23. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  24. I'll be taking the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. track — a song
  3. file — a line of people
  4. tube — in a tire
  5. track — a path
  6. mouse — for a computer
  7. file — a document
  8. land — to come down
  9. track — to keep track
  10. pit — a hole
  11. ground — the earth
  12. ground — crushed
  13. ball — a great time
  14. ground — a position
  15. ball — a dance
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. pit — a fruit stone
  18. land — ground
  19. file — a tool
  20. land — a country
  21. tube — a container
  22. ball — a round shape
  23. pit — in a race
  24. tube — the underground

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