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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. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  3. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  4. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  5. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  6. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  7. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  8. I'll be taking the ________________.
  9. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  10. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  11. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  12. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  13. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  14. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  15. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  16. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  17. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  18. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  19. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  20. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  21. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  22. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  23. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  24. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — in a tire
  2. wind — moving air
  3. wound — past of 'wind'
  4. wind — moving air
  5. fine — a penalty
  6. wound — an injury
  7. rest — a break
  8. tube — the underground
  9. tube — a container
  10. fine — all right
  11. track — a path
  12. wound — an injury
  13. track — to keep track
  14. firm — a company
  15. degree — temperature
  16. firm — decided
  17. track — a song
  18. rest — what's left
  19. fine — high quality
  20. degree — an amount
  21. degree — from a university
  22. wind — to turn a key
  23. firm — steady
  24. rest — what's left

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