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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
468
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: cold · club · track · pitch · present · mouse · sharp · tube

  1. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  2. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  3. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  4. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  5. The water is too ________________.
  6. I'll be taking the ________________.
  7. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  8. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  9. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  10. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  11. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  12. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  13. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  14. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  15. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  16. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  17. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  18. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  19. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  20. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  21. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  22. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  23. It's one o'clock ________________.
  24. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — for a computer
  2. present — the time now
  3. present — a gift
  4. sharp — with an edge
  5. cold — not warm
  6. tube — the underground
  7. track — a song
  8. track — to keep track
  9. club — for dancing
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. pitch — completely
  12. pitch — a sales talk
  13. sharp — clever
  14. present — there
  15. club — a group
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. track — a path
  18. pitch — a sports field
  19. tube — a container
  20. club — for golf
  21. cold — the Cold War
  22. cold — an illness
  23. sharp — exactly
  24. tube — in a tire

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