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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 120 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. Where did you ________________ them?
  2. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  3. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  4. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  5. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  6. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  7. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  8. Don't do anything ________________.
  9. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  10. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  11. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  12. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  13. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  14. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  15. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  16. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  17. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  18. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  19. The ________________ took off on time.
  20. I'll be taking the ________________.
  21. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  22. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  23. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  24. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — to rob
  2. staff — employees
  3. plane — in geometry
  4. tube — in a tire
  5. chest — of your body
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. mug — a cup
  8. rash — hasty
  9. fan — to cool the air
  10. row — a quarrel
  11. row — to paddle
  12. rash — on the skin
  13. chest — a box
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. staff — a stick
  16. chest — of your body
  17. row — a line
  18. rash — a series
  19. plane — an aircraft
  20. tube — the underground
  21. tube — a container
  22. mug — a face
  23. staff — employees
  24. plane — a tool

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