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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. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  2. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  3. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  4. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  5. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  6. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  7. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  8. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  9. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  10. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  11. I'll be taking the ________________.
  12. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  13. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  14. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  15. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  16. I can't ________________ this cold.
  17. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  18. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  19. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  20. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  21. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  22. What do you think of the new ________________?
  23. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  24. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — for spectators
  2. toast — a drink to someone
  3. cabinet — a cupboard
  4. kid — to tease
  5. tube — in a tire
  6. spring — of water
  7. hand — in cards
  8. craft — boats
  9. craft — a skill
  10. hand — help
  11. tube — the underground
  12. tube — a container
  13. stand — on your feet
  14. hand — part of the body
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. stand — to bear
  17. spring — the season
  18. toast — the most admired
  19. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  20. craft — a handicraft
  21. kid — child
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. toast — bread
  24. spring — a coil

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