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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. I'll be taking the ________________.
  3. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  4. Don't do anything ________________.
  5. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  6. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  7. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  8. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  9. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  10. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  11. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  12. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  15. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  18. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  19. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  20. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  21. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  22. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  23. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  24. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — in a tire
  2. tube — the underground
  3. bass — low music
  4. rash — hasty
  5. bass — the instrument
  6. rash — a series
  7. bass — the fish
  8. mark — a trace
  9. straw — dry grass
  10. straw — a straw man
  11. fall — to drop
  12. fall — to drop
  13. net — in sport
  14. fall — the season
  15. net — after costs
  16. net — for catching
  17. straw — to clutch at straws
  18. fine — a penalty
  19. fine — all right
  20. rash — on the skin
  21. mark — to pay attention
  22. mark — a grade
  23. tube — a container
  24. fine — high quality

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