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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. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  2. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  3. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  4. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  5. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  6. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  7. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  8. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  9. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  10. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  11. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  12. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  13. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  14. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  15. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  16. I'll be taking the ________________.
  17. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  18. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  19. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  20. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  21. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  22. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  23. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  24. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — in music
  2. tube — in a tire
  3. snap — to speak sharply
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. chest — of your body
  6. lie — to recline
  7. chest — of your body
  8. chest — a box
  9. straw — to clutch at straws
  10. scale — size or range
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. snap — to snap out of it
  13. scale — for weighing
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. straw — dry grass
  16. tube — the underground
  17. calf — of the leg
  18. track — a song
  19. track — to keep track
  20. tube — a container
  21. track — a path
  22. straw — a straw man
  23. snap — to click
  24. lie — an untruth

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