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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 116 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. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  3. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  4. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  5. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  6. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  7. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  8. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  9. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  10. That was a fun ________________.
  11. The water is too ________________.
  12. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  13. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  14. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  15. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  16. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  17. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  18. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  19. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  20. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  21. Have you met the new head ________________?
  22. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  23. I'll be taking the ________________.
  24. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — in a tire
  2. mark — a trace
  3. rock — a stone
  4. coach — pulled by horses
  5. cold — the Cold War
  6. rock — music
  7. game — a kind of play
  8. fork — in a road
  9. mark — to pay attention
  10. game — a match
  11. cold — not warm
  12. fork — a garden tool
  13. tube — a container
  14. rock — to move gently
  15. game — wild animals
  16. mark — a grade
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. cold — an illness
  20. calf — of the leg
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. fork — to eat with
  23. tube — the underground
  24. calf — a young animal

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