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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 refilled his coffee ________________.
  2. I'll be taking the ________________.
  3. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  4. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  5. It's one o'clock ________________.
  6. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  7. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  8. Where did you ________________ them?
  9. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  10. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  13. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  14. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  15. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  16. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  17. I can't ________________ this cold.
  18. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  19. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  20. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  21. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  22. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  23. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  24. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a cup
  2. tube — the underground
  3. straw — dry grass
  4. jam — to spread on bread
  5. sharp — exactly
  6. jam — in traffic
  7. sharp — clever
  8. mug — to rob
  9. tube — a container
  10. stand — on your feet
  11. field — for sport
  12. net — in sport
  13. straw — a straw man
  14. mug — a face
  15. field — farmland
  16. sharp — with an edge
  17. stand — to bear
  18. jam — a tight spot
  19. net — after costs
  20. stand — for spectators
  21. net — for catching
  22. straw — to clutch at straws
  23. field — a subject
  24. tube — in a tire

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