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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  2. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  3. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  4. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  5. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  6. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  7. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  8. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  9. I'll be taking the ________________.
  10. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  11. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  12. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  13. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  14. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  15. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  16. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  17. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  18. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — in a tire
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. track — to keep track
  4. pass — to succeed
  5. cue — for pool
  6. cue — a hint
  7. pass — a permit
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. tube — the underground
  10. pass — to spend time
  11. clip — for paper
  12. track — a song
  13. perch — the fish
  14. cue — a signal
  15. clip — a video
  16. clip — to cut
  17. track — a path
  18. tube — a container

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