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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 124 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. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  3. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  4. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  5. I'll be taking the ________________.
  6. He is an ace ________________.
  7. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  8. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  11. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  12. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  13. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  14. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  15. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  16. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  17. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  18. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  19. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  20. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  21. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  22. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  23. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  24. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?

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

Answer key

  1. tube — in a tire
  2. jam — a tight spot
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. jam — to spread on bread
  5. tube — the underground
  6. pitcher — in baseball
  7. tear — from crying
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. tube — a container
  11. file — a line of people
  12. jam — in traffic
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. cap — of ice
  15. cap — a hat
  16. perch — the fish
  17. lie — to recline
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. tear — from crying
  20. file — a tool
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. tear — to rip
  23. file — a document
  24. cap — a lid

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