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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 am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  3. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  4. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  5. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  6. The King held a masked ________________.
  7. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  8. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  9. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  10. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  11. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  12. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  13. There's no middle ________________.
  14. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  15. I'll be taking the ________________.
  16. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  17. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  18. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  19. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  20. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  21. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  22. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  23. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  24. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?

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

Answer key

  1. tube — in a tire
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. ground — crushed
  4. band — a ring
  5. pit — a hole
  6. ball — a dance
  7. pit — a fruit stone
  8. chair — a leader
  9. chair — a professorship
  10. fan — to cool the air
  11. pit — in a race
  12. band — a rubber band
  13. ground — a position
  14. band — a music group
  15. tube — the underground
  16. dip — to dunk
  17. ball — a round shape
  18. chair — to sit on
  19. dip — to sink
  20. dip — a sauce
  21. ball — a great time
  22. tube — a container
  23. ground — the earth
  24. fan — a supporter

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