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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. When was this ________________ built?
  2. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  5. Where did you ________________ them?
  6. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  7. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  8. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  9. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  10. He works in a ________________ mill.
  11. The ________________ took off on time.
  12. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  13. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  14. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  15. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  16. She's very handy with a ________________.
  17. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  18. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  19. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  20. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  21. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  22. I'll be taking the ________________.
  23. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  24. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. tube — in a tire
  3. hand — help
  4. hand — in cards
  5. mug — to rob
  6. net — in sport
  7. rest — what's left
  8. plane — a tool
  9. mug — a cup
  10. saw — the tool
  11. plane — an aircraft
  12. mug — a face
  13. plane — in geometry
  14. hand — part of the body
  15. net — for catching
  16. saw — the tool
  17. rest — what's left
  18. rest — a break
  19. saw — past of 'see'
  20. net — after costs
  21. tube — a container
  22. tube — the underground
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. temple — side of the head

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