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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 · rock · pop · race · lean · wind · club · pit

  1. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  2. We're almost out of ________________.
  3. You don't need to ________________ round.
  4. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  5. I'll be taking the ________________.
  6. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  7. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  8. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  9. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  10. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  11. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  12. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  13. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  14. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  15. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  16. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  17. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  18. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  19. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  20. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  21. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  22. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  23. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  24. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?

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

Answer key

  1. club — for golf
  2. pop — soda
  3. pop — to visit
  4. race — a contest
  5. tube — the underground
  6. tube — a container
  7. race — the arms race
  8. pit — a fruit stone
  9. wind — to turn a key
  10. wind — moving air
  11. wind — moving air
  12. race — humankind
  13. pit — a hole
  14. lean — to rest against
  15. lean — to bend
  16. pit — in a race
  17. rock — a stone
  18. tube — in a tire
  19. club — for dancing
  20. pop — music
  21. club — a group
  22. lean — thin
  23. rock — to move gently
  24. rock — music

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