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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 120 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 players ran onto the football ________________.
  3. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  4. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  5. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  6. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  7. That was ________________ to happen.
  8. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  9. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  10. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  11. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  12. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  13. I'll be taking the ________________.
  14. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  15. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  16. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  17. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  18. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  19. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  20. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  21. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  22. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  23. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  24. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — in a tire
  2. pitch — a sports field
  3. straw — to clutch at straws
  4. bound — tied together
  5. tube — a container
  6. bound — obliged
  7. bound — certain
  8. band — a ring
  9. pitch — a sales talk
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. chair — to sit on
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. tube — the underground
  14. band — a rubber band
  15. band — a music group
  16. craft — a handicraft
  17. chair — a professorship
  18. pitch — completely
  19. straw — a straw man
  20. craft — boats
  21. chair — a leader
  22. craft — a skill
  23. straw — dry grass
  24. perch — the fish

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