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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 120 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. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  3. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  4. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  5. I'll be taking the ________________.
  6. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  7. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  8. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  9. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  10. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  11. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  12. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  13. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  14. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  15. I can't ________________ this cold.
  16. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  17. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  18. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  19. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  20. It's one o'clock ________________.
  21. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  22. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  23. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  24. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — in a tire
  2. fall — the season
  3. stand — on your feet
  4. chair — a leader
  5. tube — the underground
  6. sharp — clever
  7. chest — a box
  8. craft — boats
  9. craft — a handicraft
  10. deal — an agreement
  11. sharp — with an edge
  12. fall — to drop
  13. chest — of your body
  14. chair — to sit on
  15. stand — to bear
  16. chest — of your body
  17. chair — a professorship
  18. deal — to handle
  19. stand — for spectators
  20. sharp — exactly
  21. craft — a skill
  22. fall — to drop
  23. deal — a big deal
  24. tube — a container

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