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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: game · kick · mark · pop · lie · rash · ball · tube

  1. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  2. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  3. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  4. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  5. We're almost out of ________________.
  6. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  7. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  8. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. You don't need to ________________ round.
  11. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  12. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  13. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  14. That was a fun ________________.
  15. The King held a masked ________________.
  16. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  17. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  18. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  19. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  20. Don't do anything ________________.
  21. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  22. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  23. I'll be taking the ________________.
  24. She got the top ________________ in the exam.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — in a tire
  2. pop — music
  3. rash — a series
  4. ball — a great time
  5. pop — soda
  6. game — a kind of play
  7. kick — a thrill
  8. ball — a round shape
  9. game — wild animals
  10. pop — to visit
  11. mark — to pay attention
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. kick — in football
  14. game — a match
  15. ball — a dance
  16. kick — with a leg
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. lie — to recline
  19. tube — a container
  20. rash — hasty
  21. rash — on the skin
  22. mark — a trace
  23. tube — the underground
  24. mark — a grade

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