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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. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  2. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  3. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  4. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  5. I'll be taking the ________________.
  6. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  7. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  8. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  9. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  10. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  11. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  12. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  13. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  14. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  15. You don't need to ________________ round.
  16. We're almost out of ________________.
  17. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  18. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  19. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  20. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  21. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  22. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  23. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  24. Have you found your soul ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. tube — in a tire
  3. mate — to breed
  4. wake — to stop sleeping
  5. tube — the underground
  6. tube — a container
  7. wake — a trail
  8. safe — a strongbox
  9. bat — the animal
  10. staff — employees
  11. staff — employees
  12. bat — in an idiom
  13. pop — music
  14. wake — before a funeral
  15. pop — to visit
  16. pop — soda
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. mate — a friend
  19. staff — a stick
  20. bat — for baseball
  21. hand — help
  22. hand — part of the body
  23. hand — in cards
  24. mate — a partner

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