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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. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  3. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  4. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  5. How do you ________________ your surname?
  6. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  7. I'll be taking the ________________.
  8. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  9. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  10. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  11. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  12. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  13. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  14. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  15. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  16. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  17. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  18. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  19. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  20. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  21. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  22. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  23. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  24. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — in a tire
  2. fan — to cool the air
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. spell — letters
  6. fork — in a road
  7. tube — the underground
  8. fork — to eat with
  9. hide — animal skin
  10. content — the amount
  11. ruler — a monarch
  12. spell — magic
  13. spell — a short time
  14. content — happy
  15. tube — a container
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. present — a gift
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. content — videos and posts
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. present — the time now
  22. fork — a garden tool
  23. present — there
  24. ruler — for measuring

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