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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 strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  3. I'll be taking the ________________.
  4. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  5. I can't ________________ this cold.
  6. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  7. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  8. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  9. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  10. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  11. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  12. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  13. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  14. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  15. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  16. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  17. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  18. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  19. It's one o'clock ________________.
  20. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  21. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  22. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  23. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  24. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — in a tire
  2. wind — moving air
  3. tube — the underground
  4. toast — bread
  5. stand — to bear
  6. sharp — with an edge
  7. wind — to turn a key
  8. lean — thin
  9. sharp — clever
  10. capital — money
  11. toast — a drink to someone
  12. stand — for spectators
  13. lean — to rest against
  14. capital — a city
  15. capital — a big letter
  16. lean — to bend
  17. wind — moving air
  18. object — a thing
  19. sharp — exactly
  20. tube — a container
  21. object — an aim
  22. object — to protest
  23. toast — the most admired
  24. stand — on your feet

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