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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. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  3. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  4. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  5. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  6. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  7. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  8. She's very handy with a ________________.
  9. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  10. He works in a ________________ mill.
  11. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  12. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  13. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  14. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  15. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  16. False peace will not ________________.
  17. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  18. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  19. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  20. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  21. I'll be taking the ________________.
  22. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  23. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  24. Can you turn the ________________ on?

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

Answer key

  1. tube — in a tire
  2. tube — a container
  3. pass — a permit
  4. snap — to snap out of it
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. pass — to succeed
  7. snap — to click
  8. saw — the tool
  9. last — finally
  10. saw — the tool
  11. snap — to speak sharply
  12. staff — employees
  13. pass — to spend time
  14. dip — to sink
  15. staff — a stick
  16. last — to go on
  17. dip — a sauce
  18. staff — employees
  19. dip — to dunk
  20. last — final
  21. tube — the underground
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. saw — past of 'see'
  24. fan — to cool the air

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