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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. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  3. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  4. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  5. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  6. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  7. She's very handy with a ________________.
  8. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  9. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  10. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  11. I'll be taking the ________________.
  12. He works in a ________________ mill.
  13. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  14. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  15. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  16. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  17. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  18. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  19. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  20. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  21. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  22. False peace will not ________________.
  23. I can't ________________ this cold.
  24. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — in a tire
  2. drill — army training
  3. chest — of your body
  4. scale — for weighing
  5. drill — the tool
  6. last — finally
  7. saw — the tool
  8. file — a tool
  9. tube — a container
  10. file — a line of people
  11. tube — the underground
  12. saw — the tool
  13. stand — on your feet
  14. scale — size or range
  15. last — final
  16. drill — a practice
  17. chest — a box
  18. stand — for spectators
  19. chest — of your body
  20. file — a document
  21. scale — in music
  22. last — to go on
  23. stand — to bear
  24. saw — past of 'see'

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