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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 want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  3. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  4. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  5. I'll be taking the ________________.
  6. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  7. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  8. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  9. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  10. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  11. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  12. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  13. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  14. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  17. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  18. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  19. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  20. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  21. It's one o'clock ________________.
  22. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  23. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  24. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — in a tire
  2. tube — a container
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. sharp — clever
  5. tube — the underground
  6. wound — past of 'wind'
  7. present — there
  8. hand — help
  9. wound — an injury
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. present — a gift
  12. hide — animal skin
  13. drill — the tool
  14. present — the time now
  15. hand — in cards
  16. drill — army training
  17. racket — a loud noise
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. wound — an injury
  21. sharp — exactly
  22. drill — a practice
  23. sharp — with an edge
  24. hand — part of the body

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