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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. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  2. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  3. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  4. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  5. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  6. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  7. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  8. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  9. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  10. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  11. I'll be taking the ________________.
  12. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  13. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  14. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  15. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  16. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  17. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  18. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  19. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  20. That was a fun ________________.
  21. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  22. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  23. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  24. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. present — the time now
  3. deal — an agreement
  4. present — a gift
  5. tube — in a tire
  6. pass — to succeed
  7. tube — a container
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. pass — to spend time
  10. face — to confront
  11. tube — the underground
  12. present — there
  13. face — part of the head
  14. stem — a stem cell
  15. pass — a permit
  16. stem — of a plant
  17. face — to point toward
  18. game — wild animals
  19. stem — to come from
  20. game — a match
  21. deal — a big deal
  22. game — a kind of play
  23. fan — to cool the air
  24. deal — to handle

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