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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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Word bank
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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 · cell · jam · hand · sharp · mouse · mark · court

  1. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  2. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  3. It's one o'clock ________________.
  4. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  5. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  6. He was locked up in a ________________.
  7. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  8. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  9. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  10. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  11. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  12. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  13. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  14. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  15. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  16. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  17. The ball is in your ________________.
  18. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  19. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  20. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  21. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  22. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  23. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  24. I'll be taking the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — in a tire
  2. cell — a phone
  3. sharp — exactly
  4. jam — in traffic
  5. mouse — for a computer
  6. cell — in a prison
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. jam — a tight spot
  9. sharp — clever
  10. jam — to spread on bread
  11. court — of law
  12. cell — in biology
  13. sharp — with an edge
  14. hand — in cards
  15. court — of a king
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. court — for sport
  18. hand — part of the body
  19. mark — a trace
  20. tube — a container
  21. mark — a grade
  22. hand — help
  23. mark — to pay attention
  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