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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 hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  3. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  4. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  5. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  6. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  7. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  8. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  9. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  10. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  11. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  12. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  13. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  14. The ________________ went through the wall.
  15. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  16. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  17. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  18. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  19. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  20. I'll be taking the ________________.
  21. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  22. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  23. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  24. He keeps ________________ of his days.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — in a tire
  2. mark — a trace
  3. mark — a grade
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. pitch — a sports field
  6. mouse — for a computer
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. spring — the season
  10. pitch — completely
  11. track — a song
  12. spring — of water
  13. spring — a coil
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. tube — a container
  16. mark — to pay attention
  17. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  18. kid — to tease
  19. pitch — a sales talk
  20. tube — the underground
  21. track — a path
  22. kid — child
  23. nail — on a finger
  24. track — to keep track

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