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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'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  2. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  3. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  4. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  5. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  6. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  7. David sat on the ________________.
  8. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  9. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  10. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  11. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  12. Don't do anything ________________.
  13. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  14. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  15. I'll be taking the ________________.
  16. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  17. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  18. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  19. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  20. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  21. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  22. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  23. He is an ace ________________.
  24. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — steady
  2. tube — in a tire
  3. swing — in golf
  4. tube — a container
  5. firm — decided
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. swing — to play on
  8. chip — in a computer
  9. chip — for betting
  10. chip — to eat
  11. band — a music group
  12. rash — hasty
  13. present — there
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. tube — the underground
  16. band — a ring
  17. swing — music
  18. present — the time now
  19. present — a gift
  20. band — a rubber band
  21. firm — a company
  22. rash — on the skin
  23. pitcher — in baseball
  24. rash — a series

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