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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. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  2. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  3. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  4. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  5. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  6. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  7. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  8. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  9. I'll be taking the ________________.
  10. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  11. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  12. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  13. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  14. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  15. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  16. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  17. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  18. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  19. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  20. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  21. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  22. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  23. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  24. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. band — a rubber band
  2. band — a music group
  3. tube — in a tire
  4. cue — a signal
  5. pass — a permit
  6. trunk — of an elephant
  7. kid — child
  8. pass — to spend time
  9. tube — the underground
  10. march — the month
  11. pass — to succeed
  12. band — a ring
  13. pit — in a race
  14. march — the month
  15. trunk — of a tree
  16. kid — to tease
  17. trunk — of a car
  18. march — music
  19. tube — a container
  20. cue — a hint
  21. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  22. pit — a hole
  23. cue — for pool
  24. pit — a fruit stone

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