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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. He is an ace ________________.
  2. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  4. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  5. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  6. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  7. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  8. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  9. The King held a masked ________________.
  10. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  11. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  12. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  13. I'll be taking the ________________.
  14. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  15. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  16. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  17. Did you ________________ the meat?
  18. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  19. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  20. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  21. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  22. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  23. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  24. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — in baseball
  2. season — of the year
  3. tube — in a tire
  4. stem — a stem cell
  5. foot — part of the body
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. foot — a measure
  8. stem — of a plant
  9. ball — a dance
  10. ball — a great time
  11. pass — to succeed
  12. pass — to spend time
  13. tube — the underground
  14. file — a tool
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. tube — a container
  17. season — to add flavour
  18. season — in sport
  19. ball — a round shape
  20. file — a document
  21. file — a line of people
  22. pass — a permit
  23. stem — to come from
  24. foot — the bottom

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