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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. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  3. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  4. I'll be taking the ________________.
  5. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  6. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  7. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  8. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  9. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  10. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  11. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  12. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  13. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  14. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  15. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  16. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  17. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  18. She's very handy with a ________________.
  19. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  20. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  21. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  22. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  23. When will it ________________ you to start?
  24. He works in a ________________ mill.

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. rest — what's left
  4. tube — the underground
  5. capital — a city
  6. track — to keep track
  7. track — a song
  8. suit — clothes
  9. kid — child
  10. rest — a break
  11. rest — what's left
  12. shower — rain
  13. kid — to tease
  14. capital — money
  15. shower — to wash
  16. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  17. suit — in cards
  18. saw — the tool
  19. saw — past of 'see'
  20. track — a path
  21. shower — a meteor shower
  22. capital — a big letter
  23. suit — to fit
  24. saw — the tool

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