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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. How do you ________________ your surname?
  2. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  3. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  4. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  5. I'll be taking the ________________.
  6. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  7. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  8. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  9. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  10. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  11. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  12. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  13. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  14. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  15. My father caught me by the ________________.
  16. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  17. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  18. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  19. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  20. Don't do anything ________________.
  21. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  22. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  23. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  24. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — letters
  2. tube — in a tire
  3. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. tube — the underground
  6. rash — a series
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. field — for sport
  9. kid — to tease
  10. rash — on the skin
  11. jam — a tight spot
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. lie — to recline
  14. field — a subject
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. spell — a short time
  17. tube — a container
  18. jam — in traffic
  19. spell — magic
  20. rash — hasty
  21. field — farmland
  22. jam — to spread on bread
  23. kid — child
  24. arm — a part of something

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