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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. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  2. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  3. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  4. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  5. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  6. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  7. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  10. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  11. Where did you ________________ them?
  12. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  13. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  14. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  15. I'll be taking the ________________.
  16. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  17. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  18. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  19. He works in a ________________ mill.
  20. She's very handy with a ________________.
  21. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  22. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  23. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  24. He refilled his coffee ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. mug — a face
  3. tube — in a tire
  4. jam — a tight spot
  5. shower — rain
  6. stick — to attach or keep to
  7. mine — for digging
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. march — the month
  10. shower — a meteor shower
  11. mug — to rob
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. jam — in traffic
  14. mine — belonging to me
  15. tube — the underground
  16. march — music
  17. saw — past of 'see'
  18. march — the month
  19. saw — the tool
  20. saw — the tool
  21. tube — a container
  22. shower — to wash
  23. jam — to spread on bread
  24. mug — a cup

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