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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. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  2. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  3. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  4. The water is too ________________.
  5. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  6. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  7. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  8. That was ________________ to happen.
  9. How do you ________________ your surname?
  10. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  11. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  12. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  13. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  14. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  15. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  16. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  17. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  18. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  19. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  20. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  21. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  22. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  23. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  24. I'll be taking the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — tied together
  2. tube — in a tire
  3. spell — a short time
  4. cold — not warm
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. cold — an illness
  7. cold — the Cold War
  8. bound — certain
  9. spell — letters
  10. leaves — lets stay
  11. perch — the fish
  12. tube — a container
  13. bound — obliged
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. pit — a hole
  16. pit — a fruit stone
  17. pit — in a race
  18. leaves — to go away
  19. spell — magic
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. leaves — of a tree
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. calf — of the leg
  24. tube — the underground

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