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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. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  2. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  3. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  4. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  5. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  6. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  7. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  8. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  9. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  10. I'll be taking the ________________.
  11. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  12. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  13. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  14. He was locked up in a ________________.
  15. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  16. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  17. David sat on the ________________.
  18. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  19. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  20. I've got to change the light ________________.
  21. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  22. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  23. The light ________________ burned out.
  24. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.

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

Answer key

  1. present — the time now
  2. tube — in a tire
  3. toast — a drink to someone
  4. bear — the animal
  5. current — happening now
  6. cell — a phone
  7. current — electric
  8. current — of water
  9. swing — music
  10. tube — the underground
  11. tube — a container
  12. present — there
  13. swing — in golf
  14. cell — in a prison
  15. bear — to put up with
  16. toast — bread
  17. swing — to play on
  18. cell — in biology
  19. present — a gift
  20. bulb — for light
  21. bear — the animal
  22. toast — the most admired
  23. bulb — for light
  24. bulb — of a plant

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