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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 116 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 speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  3. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  4. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  5. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  6. I'll be taking the ________________.
  7. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  8. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  9. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  10. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  11. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  12. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  13. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  14. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  15. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  16. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  17. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  18. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  19. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  20. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  21. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  22. There's no middle ________________.
  23. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  24. How do you ________________ your surname?

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

Answer key

  1. tube — in a tire
  2. wake — a trail
  3. mouse — for a computer
  4. squash — the sport
  5. ground — crushed
  6. tube — the underground
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. racket — a loud noise
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. wake — to stop sleeping
  11. wake — before a funeral
  12. ground — the earth
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. squash — the vegetable
  15. squash — to crush
  16. spell — a short time
  17. tube — a container
  18. spell — magic
  19. face — to confront
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. face — to point toward
  22. ground — a position
  23. face — part of the head
  24. spell — letters

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