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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 120 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. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  3. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  4. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  5. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  6. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  7. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  8. I'll be taking the ________________.
  9. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  10. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  11. How do you ________________ your surname?
  12. Don't do anything ________________.
  13. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  14. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  15. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  16. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  17. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  18. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  19. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  20. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  21. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  22. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  23. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  24. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — in a tire
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. current — of water
  4. stick — to attach or keep to
  5. face — to point toward
  6. ruler — for measuring
  7. spell — a short time
  8. tube — the underground
  9. current — happening now
  10. rash — on the skin
  11. spell — letters
  12. rash — hasty
  13. rash — a series
  14. current — electric
  15. face — to confront
  16. bat — in an idiom
  17. bat — the animal
  18. face — part of the head
  19. tube — a container
  20. ruler — a monarch
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. spell — magic
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. bat — for baseball

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