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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. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  3. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  4. When will it ________________ you to start?
  5. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  6. Where did you ________________ them?
  7. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  8. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  9. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  10. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  11. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  12. I'll be taking the ________________.
  13. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  14. He was locked up in a ________________.
  15. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  16. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  17. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  18. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  19. The ________________ went through the wall.
  20. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  21. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  22. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  23. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  24. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — in a tire
  2. kick — in football
  3. cell — in biology
  4. suit — to fit
  5. kick — a thrill
  6. mug — to rob
  7. kick — with a leg
  8. mug — a face
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. straw — to clutch at straws
  11. nail — on a finger
  12. tube — the underground
  13. suit — in cards
  14. cell — in a prison
  15. straw — dry grass
  16. straw — a straw man
  17. cell — a phone
  18. mug — a cup
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. spring — of water
  21. spring — a coil
  22. tube — a container
  23. spring — the season
  24. suit — clothes

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