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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 girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  3. This piece is in a major ________________.
  4. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  5. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  6. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  7. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  8. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  9. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  10. The ball is in your ________________.
  11. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  12. I'll be taking the ________________.
  13. Don't do anything ________________.
  14. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  15. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  16. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  17. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  18. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  19. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  20. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  21. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  22. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  23. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  24. I've got the luggage in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — in a tire
  2. row — a line
  3. key — in music
  4. rash — a series
  5. foot — part of the body
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. trunk — of a tree
  8. tube — a container
  9. court — of a king
  10. court — for sport
  11. row — to paddle
  12. tube — the underground
  13. rash — hasty
  14. key — for a lock
  15. court — of law
  16. trunk — of an elephant
  17. key — the most important part
  18. foot — a measure
  19. foot — the bottom
  20. perch — the fish
  21. rash — on the skin
  22. row — a quarrel
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. trunk — of a car

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