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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 like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  3. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  4. Have you found your soul ________________?
  5. The ________________ took off on time.
  6. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  7. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  8. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  9. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  10. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  11. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  12. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  13. It's one o'clock ________________.
  14. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  15. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  16. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  17. I'll be taking the ________________.
  18. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  19. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  20. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  21. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  22. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  23. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  24. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — in a tire
  2. toast — bread
  3. lash — to lash out
  4. mate — a partner
  5. plane — an aircraft
  6. lash — a whip stroke
  7. toast — the most admired
  8. sharp — clever
  9. net — for catching
  10. plane — a tool
  11. foot — a measure
  12. net — in sport
  13. sharp — exactly
  14. sharp — with an edge
  15. net — after costs
  16. lash — an eyelash
  17. tube — the underground
  18. toast — a drink to someone
  19. tube — a container
  20. plane — in geometry
  21. foot — part of the body
  22. mate — a friend
  23. foot — the bottom
  24. mate — to breed

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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