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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 want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  2. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  3. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  4. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  5. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  6. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  7. The ball is in your ________________.
  8. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  9. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  10. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  11. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  12. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  13. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  14. That was ________________ to happen.
  15. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  16. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  17. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  18. It's one o'clock ________________.
  19. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  20. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  21. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  22. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  23. I'll be taking the ________________.
  24. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?

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

Answer key

  1. tube — a container
  2. hide — animal skin
  3. tube — in a tire
  4. wind — moving air
  5. bound — obliged
  6. sharp — clever
  7. court — for sport
  8. bowl — a dish
  9. staff — a stick
  10. wind — moving air
  11. staff — employees
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. sharp — with an edge
  14. bound — certain
  15. staff — employees
  16. court — of a king
  17. bowl — to roll
  18. sharp — exactly
  19. court — of law
  20. wind — to turn a key
  21. bound — tied together
  22. bowl — a football final
  23. tube — the underground
  24. hide — to keep secret

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