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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 116 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. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  3. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  4. The King held a masked ________________.
  5. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  6. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  7. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  8. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  9. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  10. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  11. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  12. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  13. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  14. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  15. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  16. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  17. The ball is in your ________________.
  18. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  19. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  20. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  21. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  22. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  23. I'll be taking the ________________.
  24. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — in a tire
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. chip — for betting
  4. ball — a dance
  5. tube — a container
  6. wave — of the sea
  7. wave — a sudden rise
  8. wind — to turn a key
  9. chip — to eat
  10. court — of a king
  11. wind — moving air
  12. chip — in a computer
  13. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  14. wave — with your hand
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. kid — child
  17. court — for sport
  18. wind — moving air
  19. ball — a round shape
  20. ball — a great time
  21. kid — to tease
  22. lie — to recline
  23. tube — the underground
  24. court — of law

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