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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 want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  2. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  3. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  4. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  5. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  6. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  7. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  8. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  9. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  10. I'll be taking the ________________.
  11. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  12. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  13. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  14. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  15. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  16. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  17. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  18. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  19. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  20. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  21. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  22. What do you think of the new ________________?
  23. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  24. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — a container
  2. row — to paddle
  3. kick — with a leg
  4. cabinet — a cupboard
  5. fall — the season
  6. tube — in a tire
  7. chair — a professorship
  8. kick — a thrill
  9. fall — to drop
  10. tube — the underground
  11. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  12. chair — a leader
  13. kid — to tease
  14. prune — to trim
  15. row — a line
  16. kid — child
  17. kick — in football
  18. row — a quarrel
  19. prune — the fruit
  20. prune — to trim
  21. fall — to drop
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. chair — to sit on
  24. cabinet — ministers

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