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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. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  3. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  4. I'll be taking the ________________.
  5. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  6. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  7. You don't need to ________________ round.
  8. The water is too ________________.
  9. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  10. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  11. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  12. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  13. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  14. We're almost out of ________________.
  15. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  16. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  17. Where did you ________________ them?
  18. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  19. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  20. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  21. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  22. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  23. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  24. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — in a tire
  2. kid — child
  3. trunk — of a car
  4. tube — the underground
  5. cold — the Cold War
  6. snap — to speak sharply
  7. pop — to visit
  8. cold — not warm
  9. tube — a container
  10. toast — the most admired
  11. toast — bread
  12. trunk — of a tree
  13. cold — an illness
  14. pop — soda
  15. mug — a face
  16. toast — a drink to someone
  17. mug — to rob
  18. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  19. snap — to click
  20. pop — music
  21. kid — to tease
  22. mug — a cup
  23. trunk — of an elephant
  24. snap — to snap out of it

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