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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. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  3. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  4. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  5. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  6. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  7. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  8. I'll be taking the ________________.
  9. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  10. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  11. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  12. How do you ________________ your surname?
  13. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  14. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  15. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  16. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  17. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  18. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  19. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  20. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  21. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  22. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  23. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  24. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — in a tire
  2. pitch — a sales talk
  3. file — a document
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. pitch — completely
  6. tube — a container
  7. safe — a strongbox
  8. tube — the underground
  9. pitch — a sports field
  10. wake — to stop sleeping
  11. pit — a fruit stone
  12. spell — letters
  13. wake — before a funeral
  14. file — a tool
  15. file — a line of people
  16. bass — the instrument
  17. wake — a trail
  18. bass — the fish
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. pit — a hole
  21. pit — in a race
  22. spell — a short time
  23. spell — magic
  24. bass — low music

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