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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. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  3. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  4. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  5. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  6. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  7. I'll be taking the ________________.
  8. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  9. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  10. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  11. He works in a ________________ mill.
  12. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  13. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  14. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  15. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  16. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  17. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  18. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  19. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  20. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  21. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  22. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  23. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  24. She's very handy with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — in a tire
  2. jam — in traffic
  3. safe — out of danger
  4. tube — a container
  5. bowl — a dish
  6. bowl — to roll
  7. tube — the underground
  8. safe — out of danger
  9. snap — to snap out of it
  10. fall — the season
  11. saw — the tool
  12. snap — to click
  13. bowl — a football final
  14. degree — an amount
  15. saw — past of 'see'
  16. snap — to speak sharply
  17. fall — to drop
  18. safe — a strongbox
  19. fall — to drop
  20. degree — temperature
  21. jam — to spread on bread
  22. jam — a tight spot
  23. degree — from a university
  24. saw — the tool

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