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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. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  3. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  4. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  5. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  6. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  7. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  8. I'll be taking the ________________.
  9. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  10. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  11. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  12. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  13. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  14. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  15. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  16. Where did you ________________ them?
  17. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  18. David sat on the ________________.
  19. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  20. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  21. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  22. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  23. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  24. Hold the papers together with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — in a tire
  2. pass — a permit
  3. snap — to snap out of it
  4. hand — part of the body
  5. tube — a container
  6. snap — to speak sharply
  7. band — a rubber band
  8. tube — the underground
  9. mug — a face
  10. band — a music group
  11. swing — music
  12. hand — in cards
  13. mug — a cup
  14. pass — to spend time
  15. hand — help
  16. mug — to rob
  17. pass — to succeed
  18. swing — to play on
  19. clip — a video
  20. clip — to cut
  21. swing — in golf
  22. snap — to click
  23. band — a ring
  24. clip — for paper

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