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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 need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  3. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  4. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  5. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  6. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  7. We're almost out of ________________.
  8. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  9. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  10. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  11. Have you met the new head ________________?
  12. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  13. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  14. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  15. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  16. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  17. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  18. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  19. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  20. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  21. My mare is ________________ in color.
  22. You don't need to ________________ round.
  23. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  24. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — the underground
  2. tube — in a tire
  3. drill — army training
  4. chest — a box
  5. drill — the tool
  6. coach — pulled by horses
  7. pop — soda
  8. drill — a practice
  9. fall — to drop
  10. fall — the season
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. bay — a part of the sea
  13. chest — of your body
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. bay — to keep at bay
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. pop — music
  18. tube — a container
  19. chest — of your body
  20. fall — to drop
  21. bay — a horse colour
  22. pop — to visit
  23. mouse — for a computer
  24. mouse — the animal

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