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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. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  3. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  4. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  5. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  6. She's very handy with a ________________.
  7. This piece is in a major ________________.
  8. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  9. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  10. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  11. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  12. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  13. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  14. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  15. He works in a ________________ mill.
  16. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  17. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  18. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  19. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  20. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  21. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  22. I'll be taking the ________________.
  23. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  24. The players ran onto the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — in a tire
  2. pitch — a sales talk
  3. spring — the season
  4. craft — a handicraft
  5. jam — a tight spot
  6. saw — the tool
  7. key — in music
  8. jam — to spread on bread
  9. spring — of water
  10. jam — in traffic
  11. drill — a practice
  12. tube — a container
  13. pitch — completely
  14. spring — a coil
  15. saw — the tool
  16. drill — army training
  17. key — for a lock
  18. key — the most important part
  19. saw — past of 'see'
  20. craft — boats
  21. drill — the tool
  22. tube — the underground
  23. craft — a skill
  24. pitch — a sports field

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