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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. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  2. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. Don't do anything ________________.
  5. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  6. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  7. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  8. I can't ________________ this cold.
  9. That must've been a ________________.
  10. False peace will not ________________.
  11. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  12. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  13. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  14. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  15. I'll be taking the ________________.
  16. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  17. David sat on the ________________.
  18. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  19. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  20. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  21. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  22. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  23. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  24. I seem to be developing a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — a container
  2. stand — on your feet
  3. last — final
  4. rash — hasty
  5. last — finally
  6. rush — to hurry
  7. chip — in a computer
  8. stand — to bear
  9. rush — a thrill
  10. last — to go on
  11. rush — hurry
  12. present — there
  13. swing — in golf
  14. chip — to eat
  15. tube — the underground
  16. present — the time now
  17. swing — to play on
  18. chip — for betting
  19. tube — in a tire
  20. rash — a series
  21. present — a gift
  22. swing — music
  23. stand — for spectators
  24. rash — on the skin

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