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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 120 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 ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  3. The tickets are free of ________________.
  4. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  5. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  6. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  7. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  8. My father caught me by the ________________.
  9. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  12. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  13. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  14. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  15. He is an ace ________________.
  16. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  17. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  18. I'll be taking the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — in a tire
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. charge — a price
  4. straw — a straw man
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. tube — a container
  7. straw — dry grass
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. charge — electricity
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. straw — to clutch at straws
  14. calf — of the leg
  15. pitcher — in baseball
  16. arm — a part of something
  17. charge — in control
  18. 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