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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 120 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 beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  3. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  4. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  5. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  6. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  7. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  8. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  9. How do you ________________ your surname?
  10. I'll be taking the ________________.
  11. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  12. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  13. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  14. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  15. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  16. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  17. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  18. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  19. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  20. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  21. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  22. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  23. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  24. Beijing is the ________________ of China.

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 big letter
  3. pitch — a sports field
  4. hide — animal skin
  5. pitch — completely
  6. capital — money
  7. kid — child
  8. dip — to sink
  9. spell — letters
  10. tube — the underground
  11. tube — a container
  12. dip — a sauce
  13. ruler — a monarch
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. spell — a short time
  16. spell — magic
  17. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  18. ruler — for measuring
  19. pitch — a sales talk
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. dip — to dunk
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. kid — to tease
  24. capital — a city

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