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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. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  3. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  4. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  5. That was a fun ________________.
  6. My father caught me by the ________________.
  7. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  8. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  9. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  10. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  11. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  12. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  13. The ________________ took off on time.
  14. I'll be taking the ________________.
  15. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  16. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  17. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  18. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  19. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  20. The ________________ market has crashed.
  21. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  22. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  23. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  24. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — in a tire
  2. stock — goods
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. plane — in geometry
  5. game — a match
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. present — there
  8. rock — to move gently
  9. plane — a tool
  10. arm — a part of something
  11. stock — a soup base
  12. rock — music
  13. plane — an aircraft
  14. tube — the underground
  15. present — the time now
  16. game — wild animals
  17. straw — dry grass
  18. tube — a container
  19. straw — to clutch at straws
  20. stock — shares
  21. present — a gift
  22. straw — a straw man
  23. rock — a stone
  24. game — a kind of play

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