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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 want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  3. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  4. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  5. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  6. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  7. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  8. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  9. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  10. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  11. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  12. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  13. It's one o'clock ________________.
  14. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  15. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  18. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  19. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  20. I'll be taking the ________________.
  21. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  22. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  23. This piece is in a major ________________.
  24. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — in a tire
  2. tube — a container
  3. craft — a handicraft
  4. field — a subject
  5. sharp — with an edge
  6. field — farmland
  7. jam — a tight spot
  8. jam — to spread on bread
  9. net — in sport
  10. cap — a hat
  11. cap — a lid
  12. craft — a skill
  13. sharp — exactly
  14. key — for a lock
  15. jam — in traffic
  16. net — for catching
  17. sharp — clever
  18. net — after costs
  19. key — the most important part
  20. tube — the underground
  21. cap — of ice
  22. field — for sport
  23. key — in music
  24. craft — boats

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