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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. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  3. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  4. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  5. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  6. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  7. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  8. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  9. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  10. When will it ________________ you to start?
  11. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  12. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  13. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  14. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  15. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  16. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  17. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  18. Did you ________________ the meat?
  19. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  20. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  21. The ball is in your ________________.
  22. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  23. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  24. I'll be taking the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — in a tire
  2. suit — clothes
  3. season — of the year
  4. perch — the fish
  5. tear — from crying
  6. chest — of your body
  7. tear — to rip
  8. tear — from crying
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. suit — to fit
  11. rest — what's left
  12. chest — a box
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. court — of a king
  15. season — in sport
  16. tube — a container
  17. rest — a break
  18. season — to add flavour
  19. court — of law
  20. rest — what's left
  21. court — for sport
  22. chest — of your body
  23. suit — in cards
  24. tube — the underground

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