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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. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  3. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  4. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  5. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  6. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  7. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  8. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  9. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  10. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  11. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  12. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  13. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  14. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  15. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  16. I've got to change the light ________________.
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  19. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  20. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  21. I'll be taking the ________________.
  22. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  23. The light ________________ burned out.
  24. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — in a tire
  2. tube — a container
  3. safe — a strongbox
  4. bowl — a dish
  5. chair — a professorship
  6. hand — help
  7. tear — from crying
  8. safe — out of danger
  9. chair — to sit on
  10. face — to confront
  11. tear — from crying
  12. face — to point toward
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. bulb — of a plant
  15. bowl — to roll
  16. bulb — for light
  17. hand — in cards
  18. face — part of the head
  19. chair — a leader
  20. hand — part of the body
  21. tube — the underground
  22. bowl — a football final
  23. bulb — for light
  24. tear — to rip

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