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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'll be taking the ________________.
  2. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  3. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  4. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  5. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  6. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  7. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  8. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  9. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  10. Have you found your soul ________________?
  11. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  12. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  13. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  14. That must've been a ________________.
  15. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  16. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  17. Did you ________________ the meat?
  18. My father caught me by the ________________.
  19. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  20. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  21. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  22. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  23. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  24. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — the underground
  2. tube — a container
  3. rush — hurry
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. season — in sport
  6. tear — from crying
  7. march — the month
  8. mate — to breed
  9. season — of the year
  10. mate — a partner
  11. tube — in a tire
  12. march — the month
  13. mate — a friend
  14. rush — a thrill
  15. cue — a hint
  16. rush — to hurry
  17. season — to add flavour
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. tear — from crying
  20. cue — a signal
  21. tear — to rip
  22. cue — for pool
  23. march — music
  24. arm — a part of something

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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