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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: tube · pit · chest · kick · shower · ruler

  1. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  2. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  3. I'll be taking the ________________.
  4. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  5. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  6. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  7. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  8. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  9. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  10. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  11. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  12. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  13. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  14. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  15. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  16. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  17. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  18. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.

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

Answer key

  1. ruler — for measuring
  2. tube — in a tire
  3. tube — the underground
  4. chest — of your body
  5. pit — a hole
  6. shower — to wash
  7. kick — with a leg
  8. chest — a box
  9. pit — in a race
  10. chest — of your body
  11. kick — a thrill
  12. ruler — for measuring
  13. ruler — a monarch
  14. tube — a container
  15. shower — a meteor shower
  16. pit — a fruit stone
  17. shower — rain
  18. kick — in football

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