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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 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 King held a masked ________________.
  3. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  4. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  5. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  6. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  7. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  8. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  9. I can't ________________ this cold.
  10. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  11. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  12. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  13. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  14. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  15. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  16. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  17. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  18. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  19. She's very handy with a ________________.
  20. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  21. I'll be taking the ________________.
  22. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  23. He works in a ________________ mill.
  24. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — in a tire
  2. ball — a dance
  3. tube — a container
  4. stand — for spectators
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. racket — a loud noise
  7. saw — past of 'see'
  8. ball — a round shape
  9. stand — to bear
  10. tear — to rip
  11. field — farmland
  12. field — a subject
  13. ball — a great time
  14. stand — on your feet
  15. field — for sport
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. pit — a fruit stone
  18. tear — from crying
  19. saw — the tool
  20. tear — from crying
  21. tube — the underground
  22. pit — a hole
  23. saw — the tool
  24. pit — in a race

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