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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 116 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 was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  2. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  3. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  4. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  5. I'll be taking the ________________.
  6. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  7. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  8. The King held a masked ________________.
  9. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  10. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  11. Did you ________________ the button?
  12. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  13. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  14. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  15. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  16. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  17. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  18. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  19. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  20. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  21. Have you found your soul ________________?
  22. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  23. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  24. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a great time
  2. tube — in a tire
  3. mate — to breed
  4. tear — from crying
  5. tube — the underground
  6. tear — from crying
  7. current — electric
  8. ball — a dance
  9. fan — to cool the air
  10. tube — a container
  11. press — to push
  12. current — happening now
  13. tear — to rip
  14. ball — a round shape
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. mate — a friend
  17. bat — for baseball
  18. press — a publisher
  19. bat — the animal
  20. current — of water
  21. mate — a partner
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. press — newspapers
  24. bat — in an idiom

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