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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. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  2. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  3. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  4. It's one o'clock ________________.
  5. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  6. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  7. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  8. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  9. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  10. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  11. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  12. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  13. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  14. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  15. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  16. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  17. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  18. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  19. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  20. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  21. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  22. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  23. I'll be taking the ________________.
  24. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — to succeed
  2. tube — in a tire
  3. cap — a lid
  4. sharp — exactly
  5. snap — to snap out of it
  6. cap — a hat
  7. kick — a thrill
  8. band — a rubber band
  9. snap — to click
  10. sharp — with an edge
  11. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  12. sharp — clever
  13. kid — to tease
  14. tube — a container
  15. snap — to speak sharply
  16. band — a ring
  17. cap — of ice
  18. pass — to spend time
  19. kick — in football
  20. pass — a permit
  21. band — a music group
  22. kick — with a leg
  23. tube — the underground
  24. kid — child

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