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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. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  3. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  4. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  5. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  6. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  7. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  8. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  9. He works in a ________________ mill.
  10. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  11. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  12. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  13. Have you settled on a ________________?
  14. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  15. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  16. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  17. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  18. I'll be taking the ________________.
  19. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  20. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  21. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  22. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  23. She's very handy with a ________________.
  24. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — in a tire
  2. mark — a grade
  3. bowl — to roll
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. fine — a penalty
  6. date — the fruit
  7. face — to point toward
  8. face — to confront
  9. saw — the tool
  10. face — part of the head
  11. tube — a container
  12. wind — to turn a key
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. bowl — a dish
  15. wind — moving air
  16. mark — a trace
  17. bowl — a football final
  18. tube — the underground
  19. saw — past of 'see'
  20. fine — all right
  21. wind — moving air
  22. mark — to pay attention
  23. saw — the tool
  24. fine — high quality

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