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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'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  3. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  4. When was this ________________ built?
  5. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  6. I'll be taking the ________________.
  7. When are we going to ________________?
  8. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  9. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  10. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  11. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  12. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  13. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  14. My mare is ________________ in color.
  15. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  16. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  17. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  18. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  19. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  20. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  21. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  22. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  23. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  24. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — in a tire
  2. land — ground
  3. field — farmland
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. tube — the underground
  7. land — to come down
  8. temple — side of the head
  9. land — a country
  10. bay — a part of the sea
  11. jam — a tight spot
  12. chair — a professorship
  13. mine — an explosive
  14. bay — a horse colour
  15. bay — to keep at bay
  16. chair — a leader
  17. jam — in traffic
  18. mine — for digging
  19. tube — a container
  20. field — for sport
  21. chair — to sit on
  22. mine — belonging to me
  23. jam — to spread on bread
  24. field — a subject

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