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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. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  3. I'll be taking the ________________.
  4. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  5. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  6. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  7. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  8. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  9. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  10. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  11. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  12. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  13. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  14. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  15. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  16. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  17. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  18. Where did you ________________ them?
  19. The ball is in your ________________.
  20. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  21. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  22. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  23. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  24. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — in a tire
  2. capital — a city
  3. tube — the underground
  4. court — of a king
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. mark — a trace
  7. mark — a grade
  8. wax — in the ear
  9. mug — a cup
  10. capital — a big letter
  11. wax — for sculpting
  12. court — of law
  13. capital — money
  14. wax — to grow
  15. lie — to recline
  16. tube — a container
  17. mark — to pay attention
  18. mug — to rob
  19. court — for sport
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. bat — the animal
  22. bat — for baseball
  23. bat — in an idiom
  24. mug — a face

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