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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 120 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. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  3. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  4. I'll be taking the ________________.
  5. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  6. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  7. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  8. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  9. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  10. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  11. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  12. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  13. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  14. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  15. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  16. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  17. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  18. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  19. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  20. When are we going to ________________?
  21. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  22. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  23. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  24. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — in a tire
  2. leaves — lets stay
  3. racket — a loud noise
  4. tube — the underground
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. leaves — to go away
  7. land — ground
  8. squash — to crush
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. snap — to snap out of it
  11. land — a country
  12. snap — to speak sharply
  13. snap — to click
  14. leaves — of a tree
  15. squash — the vegetable
  16. tube — a container
  17. drill — army training
  18. bowl — a football final
  19. bowl — to roll
  20. land — to come down
  21. drill — the tool
  22. drill — a practice
  23. squash — the sport
  24. bowl — a dish

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