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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 116 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. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  2. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  3. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  4. The ________________ took off on time.
  5. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  6. He was locked up in a ________________.
  7. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  8. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  9. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  10. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  11. She's very handy with a ________________.
  12. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  13. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  14. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  15. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  16. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  17. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  18. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  19. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  20. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  21. He works in a ________________ mill.
  22. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  23. I'll be taking the ________________.
  24. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — in a race
  2. tube — in a tire
  3. track — a path
  4. plane — an aircraft
  5. track — a song
  6. cell — in a prison
  7. saw — past of 'see'
  8. drill — army training
  9. cell — a phone
  10. track — to keep track
  11. saw — the tool
  12. tube — a container
  13. kid — child
  14. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  15. cell — in biology
  16. drill — the tool
  17. pit — a fruit stone
  18. drill — a practice
  19. plane — a tool
  20. pit — a hole
  21. saw — the tool
  22. kid — to tease
  23. tube — the underground
  24. plane — in geometry

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