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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. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  3. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  4. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  5. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  6. The ________________ took off on time.
  7. Did you ________________ the meat?
  8. I'll be taking the ________________.
  9. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  10. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  11. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  12. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  13. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  14. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  15. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  16. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  17. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  18. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  19. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  20. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  21. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  22. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  23. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  24. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — in a tire
  2. file — a document
  3. pass — a permit
  4. plane — in geometry
  5. squash — to crush
  6. plane — an aircraft
  7. season — to add flavour
  8. tube — the underground
  9. file — a tool
  10. pass — to succeed
  11. field — a subject
  12. pass — to spend time
  13. march — the month
  14. plane — a tool
  15. squash — the vegetable
  16. season — in sport
  17. squash — the sport
  18. field — for sport
  19. march — music
  20. march — the month
  21. season — of the year
  22. file — a line of people
  23. field — farmland
  24. tube — a container

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