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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. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  3. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  4. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  5. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  6. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  7. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  8. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  9. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  10. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  11. False peace will not ________________.
  12. That must've been a ________________.
  13. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  14. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  15. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  16. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  17. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  18. He is an ace ________________.
  19. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  20. I'll be taking the ________________.
  21. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  22. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  23. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  24. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — in a tire
  2. pitch — completely
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. rush — hurry
  5. wax — for sculpting
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. last — finally
  8. rush — to hurry
  9. pitch — a sports field
  10. wax — to grow
  11. last — to go on
  12. rush — a thrill
  13. rock — a stone
  14. tube — a container
  15. kick — with a leg
  16. rock — to move gently
  17. wax — in the ear
  18. pitcher — in baseball
  19. kick — in football
  20. tube — the underground
  21. last — final
  22. rock — music
  23. kick — a thrill
  24. pitch — a sales talk

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