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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. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  2. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  3. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  4. When was this ________________ built?
  5. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  6. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  7. We're on a ________________ here.
  8. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  9. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  10. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  11. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  12. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  13. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  14. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  15. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  16. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  17. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  18. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  19. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  20. Don't do anything ________________.
  21. It's one o'clock ________________.
  22. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  23. I'll be taking the ________________.
  24. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. tube — in a tire
  3. sharp — with an edge
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. mouse — for a computer
  6. rash — on the skin
  7. roll — on a roll
  8. cap — a lid
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. sharp — clever
  11. roll — a cake
  12. wind — moving air
  13. cap — a hat
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. temple — side of the head
  17. roll — a list
  18. rash — a series
  19. cap — of ice
  20. rash — hasty
  21. sharp — exactly
  22. tube — a container
  23. tube — the underground
  24. wind — to turn a key

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