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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. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  2. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  3. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  4. I'll be taking the ________________.
  5. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  6. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  7. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  8. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  9. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  10. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  11. That must've been a ________________.
  12. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  13. Where did you ________________ them?
  14. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  15. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  16. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  17. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  18. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  19. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  20. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  21. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  22. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  23. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  24. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — hurry
  2. racket — a loud noise
  3. tube — in a tire
  4. tube — the underground
  5. mug — a cup
  6. spring — of water
  7. mug — a face
  8. pit — a fruit stone
  9. net — for catching
  10. rush — to hurry
  11. rush — a thrill
  12. pit — a hole
  13. mug — to rob
  14. spring — the season
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. net — after costs
  18. spring — a coil
  19. wave — a sudden rise
  20. wave — of the sea
  21. wave — with your hand
  22. net — in sport
  23. pit — in a race
  24. tube — a container

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