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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. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  3. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  4. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  5. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  6. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  7. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  8. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  9. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  10. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  11. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  12. I'll be taking the ________________.
  13. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  14. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  15. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  16. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  17. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  18. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  19. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  20. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  21. The ________________ went through the wall.
  22. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  23. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  24. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.

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 sports field
  3. stem — of a plant
  4. bear — the animal
  5. tube — a container
  6. jam — a tight spot
  7. nail — on a finger
  8. bear — the animal
  9. chair — a leader
  10. chair — to sit on
  11. pitch — completely
  12. tube — the underground
  13. chair — a professorship
  14. wind — moving air
  15. stem — a stem cell
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. jam — to spread on bread
  18. jam — in traffic
  19. bear — to put up with
  20. stem — to come from
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. wind — moving air
  23. wind — to turn a key
  24. pitch — a sales talk

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