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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 teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  3. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  4. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  5. I'll be taking the ________________.
  6. We're on a ________________ here.
  7. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  8. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  9. Did you ________________ the meat?
  10. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  11. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  12. It's one o'clock ________________.
  13. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  14. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  15. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  16. False peace will not ________________.
  17. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  18. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  19. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  20. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  21. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  22. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  23. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  24. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — in a tire
  2. roll — a list
  3. firm — decided
  4. toast — a drink to someone
  5. tube — the underground
  6. roll — on a roll
  7. tube — a container
  8. toast — the most admired
  9. season — to add flavour
  10. roll — a cake
  11. sharp — clever
  12. sharp — exactly
  13. season — of the year
  14. firm — a company
  15. season — in sport
  16. last — to go on
  17. toast — bread
  18. last — final
  19. firm — steady
  20. sharp — with an edge
  21. pass — a permit
  22. pass — to spend time
  23. last — finally
  24. pass — to succeed

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