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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 116 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. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  3. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  4. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  5. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  6. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  7. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  8. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  9. What do you think of the new ________________?
  10. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  11. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  12. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  13. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  14. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  15. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  16. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  17. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  18. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  19. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  20. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  21. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  22. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  23. I'll be taking the ________________.
  24. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. tube — in a tire
  2. can — to be able to
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. clip — for paper
  5. fan — to cool the air
  6. can — a tin
  7. tube — a container
  8. can — a tin
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. club — for golf
  11. pit — a hole
  12. content — the amount
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. content — videos and posts
  15. pit — a fruit stone
  16. content — happy
  17. clip — to cut
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. cabinet — a cupboard
  20. pit — in a race
  21. club — for dancing
  22. club — a group
  23. tube — the underground
  24. clip — a video

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