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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. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  2. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  3. Have you found your soul ________________?
  4. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  5. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  6. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  7. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  8. The ________________ took off on time.
  9. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  10. When are we going to ________________?
  11. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  12. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  13. That was ________________ to happen.
  14. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  15. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  16. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  17. I'll be taking the ________________.
  18. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  19. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  20. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  21. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  22. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  23. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  24. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — tied together
  2. tube — in a tire
  3. mate — a partner
  4. toast — bread
  5. chest — of your body
  6. plane — in geometry
  7. drill — a practice
  8. plane — an aircraft
  9. chest — of your body
  10. land — to come down
  11. mate — a friend
  12. toast — the most admired
  13. bound — certain
  14. mate — to breed
  15. chest — a box
  16. bound — obliged
  17. tube — the underground
  18. drill — army training
  19. drill — the tool
  20. toast — a drink to someone
  21. land — ground
  22. tube — a container
  23. land — a country
  24. plane — a tool

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