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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. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  2. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  3. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  4. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  5. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  6. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  7. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  8. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  9. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  10. I'll be taking the ________________.
  11. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  12. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  13. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  14. I can't ________________ this cold.
  15. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  16. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  17. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  18. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — in a tire
  2. shower — a meteor shower
  3. tube — a container
  4. present — the time now
  5. present — there
  6. shower — to wash
  7. stand — for spectators
  8. bat — for baseball
  9. stand — on your feet
  10. tube — the underground
  11. bat — in an idiom
  12. shower — rain
  13. pass — a permit
  14. stand — to bear
  15. pass — to succeed
  16. present — a gift
  17. pass — to spend time
  18. bat — 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