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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. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  3. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  4. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  5. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  6. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  7. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  8. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  9. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  10. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  11. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  12. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  13. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  14. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  15. How do you ________________ your surname?
  16. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  17. Did you ________________ the button?
  18. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  19. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  20. I'll be taking the ________________.
  21. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  22. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  23. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  24. The players ran onto the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — in a tire
  2. current — of water
  3. current — happening now
  4. spell — magic
  5. can — to be able to
  6. current — electric
  7. press — newspapers
  8. wound — an injury
  9. spell — a short time
  10. can — a tin
  11. wound — an injury
  12. pitch — a sales talk
  13. press — a publisher
  14. can — a tin
  15. spell — letters
  16. mine — for digging
  17. press — to push
  18. wound — past of 'wind'
  19. mine — an explosive
  20. tube — the underground
  21. pitch — completely
  22. mine — belonging to me
  23. tube — a container
  24. pitch — a sports field

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