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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 116 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 ________________ went through the wall.
  3. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  4. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  5. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  6. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  7. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  8. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  9. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  10. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  11. He was locked up in a ________________.
  12. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  13. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  14. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  15. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  16. That was a fun ________________.
  17. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  18. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  19. I'll be taking the ________________.
  20. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  21. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  22. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  23. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  24. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — in a tire
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. cell — in biology
  4. pass — a permit
  5. cell — a phone
  6. lean — thin
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. lean — to bend
  10. game — wild animals
  11. cell — in a prison
  12. drill — army training
  13. pass — to spend time
  14. drill — a practice
  15. pass — to succeed
  16. game — a match
  17. game — a kind of play
  18. tube — a container
  19. tube — the underground
  20. drill — the tool
  21. calf — of the leg
  22. lean — to rest against
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. nail — on a finger

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