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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 ball is in your ________________.
  3. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  4. It's one o'clock ________________.
  5. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  6. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  7. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  8. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  9. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  10. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  11. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  12. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  13. I'll be taking the ________________.
  14. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  15. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  16. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  17. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  18. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  19. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  20. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  21. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  22. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  23. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  24. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — in a tire
  2. court — for sport
  3. scale — in music
  4. sharp — exactly
  5. fall — the season
  6. sharp — with an edge
  7. can — a tin
  8. fall — to drop
  9. scale — size or range
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. can — to be able to
  12. sharp — clever
  13. tube — the underground
  14. court — of law
  15. safe — a strongbox
  16. mine — for digging
  17. can — a tin
  18. mine — an explosive
  19. fall — to drop
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. mine — belonging to me
  22. scale — for weighing
  23. tube — a container
  24. court — of a king

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