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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. He is an ace ________________.
  3. I'll be taking the ________________.
  4. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  5. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  6. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  7. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  8. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  9. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  10. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  11. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  12. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  13. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  14. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  15. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  16. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  17. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  18. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  19. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  20. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  21. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  22. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  23. Don't do anything ________________.
  24. He hit the ball with his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — in a tire
  2. pitcher — in baseball
  3. tube — the underground
  4. shower — to wash
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. mouse — for a computer
  8. rash — on the skin
  9. track — a song
  10. kick — with a leg
  11. shower — a meteor shower
  12. kick — in football
  13. track — a path
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. track — to keep track
  16. tube — a container
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. rash — a series
  19. kick — a thrill
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. racket — a loud noise
  22. shower — rain
  23. rash — hasty
  24. racket — for tennis

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