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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 need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  2. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  3. I'll be taking the ________________.
  4. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  5. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  6. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  7. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  8. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  9. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  10. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  11. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  12. How do you ________________ your surname?
  13. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  14. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  15. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  16. Did you ________________ the button?
  17. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  18. The ball is in your ________________.
  19. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  20. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  21. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  22. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  23. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  24. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — in a tire
  2. press — a publisher
  3. tube — the underground
  4. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  5. ruler — for measuring
  6. kid — to tease
  7. ruler — a monarch
  8. tube — a container
  9. scale — for weighing
  10. court — of a king
  11. perch — the fish
  12. spell — letters
  13. kid — child
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. scale — in music
  16. press — to push
  17. spell — magic
  18. court — for sport
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. scale — size or range
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. court — of law
  23. spell — a short time
  24. press — newspapers

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