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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. I'll be taking the ________________.
  3. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  4. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  5. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  6. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  7. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  8. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  9. He is an ace ________________.
  10. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  13. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  14. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  15. My mare is ________________ in color.
  16. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  19. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  20. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  21. The tickets are free of ________________.
  22. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  23. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  24. We took cover from the thunder ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — in a tire
  2. tube — the underground
  3. straw — dry grass
  4. shower — to wash
  5. straw — a straw man
  6. object — to protest
  7. charge — in control
  8. object — an aim
  9. pitcher — in baseball
  10. tube — a container
  11. hand — in cards
  12. hand — part of the body
  13. straw — to clutch at straws
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. bay — a horse colour
  16. bay — to keep at bay
  17. hand — help
  18. object — a thing
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. shower — a meteor shower
  21. charge — a price
  22. charge — electricity
  23. bay — a part of the sea
  24. shower — rain

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