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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. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  3. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  4. False peace will not ________________.
  5. I'll be taking the ________________.
  6. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  7. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  8. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  9. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  10. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  11. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  12. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  13. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  14. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  15. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  16. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  17. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  18. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  19. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  20. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  21. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  22. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  23. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  24. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — in a tire
  2. pass — to spend time
  3. fall — to drop
  4. last — to go on
  5. tube — the underground
  6. pass — a permit
  7. drill — a practice
  8. rest — what's left
  9. last — final
  10. drill — the tool
  11. drill — army training
  12. rest — a break
  13. kid — to tease
  14. dip — to sink
  15. kid — child
  16. fall — to drop
  17. tube — a container
  18. rest — what's left
  19. dip — a sauce
  20. pass — to succeed
  21. fall — the season
  22. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  23. last — finally
  24. dip — to dunk

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