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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 116 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. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  5. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  6. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  7. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  8. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  9. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  10. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  11. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  12. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  13. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  14. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  15. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  16. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  17. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  18. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  19. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  20. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  21. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  22. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  23. I'll be taking the ________________.
  24. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — in a tire
  2. hand — help
  3. net — in sport
  4. net — for catching
  5. hand — in cards
  6. cap — a lid
  7. cap — a hat
  8. craft — a handicraft
  9. net — after costs
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. cap — of ice
  12. squash — to crush
  13. mark — a trace
  14. mark — to pay attention
  15. squash — the sport
  16. hand — part of the body
  17. tube — a container
  18. craft — boats
  19. stick — to attach or keep to
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. craft — a skill
  22. mark — a grade
  23. tube — the underground
  24. squash — the vegetable

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