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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. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  2. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  3. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  4. I'll be taking the ________________.
  5. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  6. There's no middle ________________.
  7. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  8. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  9. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  10. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  11. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  12. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  13. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  14. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  15. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  16. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  17. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  18. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  19. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  20. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  21. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  22. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  23. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  24. Add some ________________ pepper to it.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a line
  2. tube — in a tire
  3. leaves — to go away
  4. tube — the underground
  5. leaves — lets stay
  6. ground — a position
  7. snap — to snap out of it
  8. snap — to speak sharply
  9. chest — a box
  10. chest — of your body
  11. leaves — of a tree
  12. squash — the vegetable
  13. tube — a container
  14. dip — a sauce
  15. ground — the earth
  16. row — a quarrel
  17. dip — to sink
  18. squash — to crush
  19. chest — of your body
  20. row — to paddle
  21. squash — the sport
  22. dip — to dunk
  23. snap — to click
  24. ground — crushed

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