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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. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  3. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  4. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  5. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  6. My father caught me by the ________________.
  7. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  8. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  9. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  10. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  11. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  12. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  13. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  14. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  15. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  16. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  17. I'll be taking the ________________.
  18. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  19. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  20. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  21. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  22. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  23. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  24. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — in a tire
  2. craft — boats
  3. craft — a skill
  4. firm — a company
  5. straw — dry grass
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. cap — a hat
  8. cap — of ice
  9. straw — to clutch at straws
  10. fine — all right
  11. bat — the animal
  12. cap — a lid
  13. fine — a penalty
  14. fine — high quality
  15. arm — a part of something
  16. straw — a straw man
  17. tube — the underground
  18. tube — a container
  19. firm — decided
  20. craft — a handicraft
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. bat — for baseball
  23. firm — steady
  24. bat — in an idiom

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