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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 need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  2. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  3. I can't ________________ this cold.
  4. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  5. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  6. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  7. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  8. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  9. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  10. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  11. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  12. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  13. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  14. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  15. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  16. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  17. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  18. I'll be taking the ________________.
  19. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  20. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  21. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  22. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  23. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  24. Beijing is the ________________ of China.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — in a tire
  2. capital — money
  3. stand — to bear
  4. tube — a container
  5. kick — in football
  6. squash — the sport
  7. capital — a big letter
  8. spring — a coil
  9. squash — the vegetable
  10. bass — the fish
  11. stand — on your feet
  12. kick — with a leg
  13. pit — a hole
  14. pit — in a race
  15. spring — the season
  16. bass — low music
  17. squash — to crush
  18. tube — the underground
  19. spring — of water
  20. pit — a fruit stone
  21. kick — a thrill
  22. stand — for spectators
  23. bass — the instrument
  24. capital — a city

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