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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. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  2. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  3. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  4. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  5. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  6. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  7. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  8. That was a fun ________________.
  9. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  10. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  11. We're on a ________________ here.
  12. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  13. I'll be taking the ________________.
  14. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  15. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  16. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  17. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  18. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  19. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  20. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  21. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  22. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  23. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  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. leaves — lets stay
  2. tube — in a tire
  3. jam — to spread on bread
  4. tube — a container
  5. bass — the fish
  6. game — wild animals
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. game — a match
  9. leaves — of a tree
  10. bass — low music
  11. roll — on a roll
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. tube — the underground
  14. bass — the instrument
  15. roll — a cake
  16. game — a kind of play
  17. calf — of the leg
  18. pitch — a sports field
  19. jam — a tight spot
  20. leaves — to go away
  21. roll — a list
  22. pitch — completely
  23. jam — in traffic
  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