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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. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  3. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  4. She's very handy with a ________________.
  5. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  6. When was this ________________ built?
  7. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  8. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  9. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  10. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  11. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  12. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  13. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  14. The ________________ went through the wall.
  15. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  16. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  17. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  18. He works in a ________________ mill.
  19. I'll be taking the ________________.
  20. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  21. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  22. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  23. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  24. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — in a tire
  2. jam — a tight spot
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. saw — the tool
  5. drill — army training
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. jam — to spread on bread
  8. temple — side of the head
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. staff — employees
  11. bat — the animal
  12. saw — past of 'see'
  13. drill — a practice
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. nail — on a finger
  16. staff — employees
  17. bat — for baseball
  18. saw — the tool
  19. tube — the underground
  20. jam — in traffic
  21. tube — a container
  22. staff — a stick
  23. drill — the tool
  24. bat — in an idiom

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