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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. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  2. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  3. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  4. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  5. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  6. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  7. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  8. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  9. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  10. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  11. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  12. When was this ________________ built?
  13. I'll be taking the ________________.
  14. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  15. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  16. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  17. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  18. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  19. My father caught me by the ________________.
  20. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  21. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  22. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  23. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  24. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. kid — to tease
  3. tube — in a tire
  4. track — a song
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. arm — a part of something
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. kid — child
  9. bat — for baseball
  10. jam — in traffic
  11. tube — a container
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. tube — the underground
  14. fall — the season
  15. track — to keep track
  16. jam — to spread on bread
  17. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  18. temple — side of the head
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. jam — a tight spot
  21. bat — in an idiom
  22. bat — the animal
  23. track — a path
  24. fall — to drop

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