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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. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  3. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  4. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  5. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  6. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  7. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  8. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  9. I'll be taking the ________________.
  10. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  11. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  12. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  13. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  14. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  15. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  16. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  17. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  18. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  19. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  20. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  21. The tickets are free of ________________.
  22. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  23. What do you think of the new ________________?
  24. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — in a tire
  2. charge — electricity
  3. wake — a trail
  4. chest — of your body
  5. jam — in traffic
  6. content — happy
  7. content — videos and posts
  8. charge — in control
  9. tube — the underground
  10. jam — a tight spot
  11. chest — of your body
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. row — to paddle
  14. chest — a box
  15. jam — to spread on bread
  16. cabinet — a cupboard
  17. wake — before a funeral
  18. tube — a container
  19. row — a quarrel
  20. content — the amount
  21. charge — a price
  22. wake — to stop sleeping
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. row — a line

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