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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. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  2. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  3. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  4. False peace will not ________________.
  5. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  6. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  7. Have you met the new head ________________?
  8. The ________________ took off on time.
  9. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  10. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  11. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  12. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  13. We're almost out of ________________.
  14. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  15. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  16. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  17. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  18. I'll be taking the ________________.
  19. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  20. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  21. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  22. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  23. You don't need to ________________ round.
  24. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!

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

Answer key

  1. tube — in a tire
  2. straw — dry grass
  3. plane — in geometry
  4. last — to go on
  5. coach — pulled by horses
  6. pop — music
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. plane — an aircraft
  9. straw — to clutch at straws
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. dip — to dunk
  12. plane — a tool
  13. pop — soda
  14. lie — to recline
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. dip — to sink
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. tube — the underground
  19. tube — a container
  20. last — finally
  21. straw — a straw man
  22. dip — a sauce
  23. pop — to visit
  24. last — final

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