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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. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  3. We're on a ________________ here.
  4. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  5. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  6. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  7. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  8. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  9. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  10. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  11. The ________________ went through the wall.
  12. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  13. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  14. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  15. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  16. I'll be taking the ________________.
  17. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  18. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  19. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  20. When was this ________________ built?
  21. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  22. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  23. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  24. He was blown up by a land ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — in a tire
  2. mine — belonging to me
  3. roll — on a roll
  4. mine — for digging
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. jam — a tight spot
  7. present — there
  8. rest — what's left
  9. tube — a container
  10. roll — a cake
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. jam — to spread on bread
  14. rest — what's left
  15. present — the time now
  16. tube — the underground
  17. rest — a break
  18. jam — in traffic
  19. present — a gift
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. roll — a list
  22. nail — on a finger
  23. temple — side of the head
  24. mine — an explosive

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