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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 120 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. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  2. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  3. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  4. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  5. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  6. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  7. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  8. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  9. That was ________________ to happen.
  10. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  11. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  12. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  13. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  14. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  15. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  16. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  17. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  18. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  19. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  20. That must've been a ________________.
  21. I'll be taking the ________________.
  22. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  23. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  24. Did you ________________ the button?

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

Answer key

  1. pit — in a race
  2. tube — in a tire
  3. tube — a container
  4. pit — a fruit stone
  5. wind — moving air
  6. bound — obliged
  7. bound — tied together
  8. rush — hurry
  9. bound — certain
  10. wind — moving air
  11. lash — to lash out
  12. press — a publisher
  13. pit — a hole
  14. lash — an eyelash
  15. wind — to turn a key
  16. lash — a whip stroke
  17. field — for sport
  18. field — a subject
  19. field — farmland
  20. rush — a thrill
  21. tube — the underground
  22. press — newspapers
  23. rush — to hurry
  24. press — to push

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