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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. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  3. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  4. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  5. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  6. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  7. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  8. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  9. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  10. She's very handy with a ________________.
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  13. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  14. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  15. The King held a masked ________________.
  16. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. I'll be taking the ________________.
  19. That was a fun ________________.
  20. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  21. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  22. The ________________ went through the wall.
  23. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  24. He works in a ________________ mill.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — in a tire
  2. cap — a lid
  3. cap — a hat
  4. game — wild animals
  5. ball — a round shape
  6. nail — on a finger
  7. saw — past of 'see'
  8. snap — to snap out of it
  9. cap — of ice
  10. saw — the tool
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. snap — to click
  13. tube — a container
  14. game — a kind of play
  15. ball — a dance
  16. hand — help
  17. hand — in cards
  18. tube — the underground
  19. game — a match
  20. ball — a great time
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. snap — to speak sharply
  24. saw — the tool

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