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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. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  2. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  3. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  4. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  5. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  6. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  7. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  8. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  9. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  10. I'll be taking the ________________.
  11. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  12. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  13. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  14. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. Did you ________________ the button?
  17. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  18. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  19. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  20. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  21. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  22. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  23. What do you think of the new ________________?
  24. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for dancing
  2. hand — help
  3. press — a publisher
  4. tube — in a tire
  5. hand — part of the body
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. pit — in a race
  8. cabinet — a cupboard
  9. tube — a container
  10. tube — the underground
  11. racket — a loud noise
  12. tear — to rip
  13. tear — from crying
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. hand — in cards
  16. press — to push
  17. club — for golf
  18. pit — a fruit stone
  19. pit — a hole
  20. club — a group
  21. press — newspapers
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. tear — from crying

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