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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. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  2. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  3. Have you found your soul ________________?
  4. I'll be taking the ________________.
  5. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  6. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  7. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  8. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  9. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  10. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  11. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  12. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  13. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  14. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  15. That must've been a ________________.
  16. My mare is ________________ in color.
  17. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  18. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  19. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  20. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  21. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  22. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  23. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  24. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — in a tire
  2. rush — hurry
  3. mate — a partner
  4. tube — the underground
  5. rush — to hurry
  6. current — happening now
  7. straw — dry grass
  8. bay — to keep at bay
  9. chair — to sit on
  10. chair — a professorship
  11. bay — a part of the sea
  12. chair — a leader
  13. tube — a container
  14. mark — a grade
  15. rush — a thrill
  16. bay — a horse colour
  17. current — of water
  18. mark — a trace
  19. mate — to breed
  20. mate — a friend
  21. mark — to pay attention
  22. current — electric
  23. straw — a straw man
  24. straw — to clutch at straws

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