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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 want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  2. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  3. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  4. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  7. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  8. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  9. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  10. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  11. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  12. I'll be taking the ________________.
  13. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  14. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  15. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  16. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  17. The light ________________ burned out.
  18. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  19. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  20. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  21. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  22. I've got to change the light ________________.
  23. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  24. When are we going to ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. tube — a container
  2. present — a gift
  3. pit — in a race
  4. chair — a professorship
  5. field — for sport
  6. bulb — of a plant
  7. present — there
  8. pit — a fruit stone
  9. field — a subject
  10. chair — to sit on
  11. pit — a hole
  12. tube — the underground
  13. land — ground
  14. present — the time now
  15. chair — a leader
  16. land — a country
  17. bulb — for light
  18. field — farmland
  19. staff — employees
  20. tube — in a tire
  21. staff — a stick
  22. bulb — for light
  23. staff — employees
  24. land — to come down

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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