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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. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  3. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  4. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  5. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  6. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  7. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  8. I'll be taking the ________________.
  9. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  10. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  11. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  12. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. This piece is in a major ________________.
  15. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  16. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  17. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  18. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  19. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  20. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  21. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  22. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  23. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  24. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — in a tire
  2. lean — to bend
  3. fine — a penalty
  4. hand — in cards
  5. tear — from crying
  6. tear — to rip
  7. tube — a container
  8. tube — the underground
  9. key — the most important part
  10. lean — thin
  11. fine — high quality
  12. content — the amount
  13. hand — help
  14. key — in music
  15. board — to get on
  16. board — a flat piece
  17. content — happy
  18. lean — to rest against
  19. content — videos and posts
  20. hand — part of the body
  21. key — for a lock
  22. tear — from crying
  23. fine — all right
  24. board — a committee

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