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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 120 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. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  3. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  4. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  5. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  6. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  7. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  8. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  9. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  10. I'll be taking the ________________.
  11. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  12. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  13. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  14. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  15. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  16. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  17. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  18. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  19. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  20. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  21. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  22. What do you think of the new ________________?
  23. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  24. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — in a tire
  2. foot — part of the body
  3. bat — the animal
  4. scale — for weighing
  5. bat — in an idiom
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. cabinet — a cupboard
  8. rock — to move gently
  9. ruler — for measuring
  10. tube — the underground
  11. foot — a measure
  12. ruler — a monarch
  13. tear — from crying
  14. rock — music
  15. tube — a container
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. bat — for baseball
  18. foot — the bottom
  19. rock — a stone
  20. scale — size or range
  21. tear — to rip
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. tear — from crying
  24. scale — in music

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