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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 want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  2. When will it ________________ you to start?
  3. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  4. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  5. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  6. I'll be taking the ________________.
  7. The ________________ took off on time.
  8. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  9. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  10. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  11. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  12. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  13. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  14. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  15. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  16. He was locked up in a ________________.
  17. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  18. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  19. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  20. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  21. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  22. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  23. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  24. Have you met the new head ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. tube — a container
  2. suit — to fit
  3. squash — the vegetable
  4. suit — clothes
  5. face — to point toward
  6. tube — the underground
  7. plane — an aircraft
  8. squash — the sport
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. fall — the season
  11. face — part of the head
  12. cell — a phone
  13. squash — to crush
  14. coach — pulled by horses
  15. plane — a tool
  16. cell — in a prison
  17. face — to confront
  18. plane — in geometry
  19. tube — in a tire
  20. fall — to drop
  21. fall — to drop
  22. suit — in cards
  23. cell — in biology
  24. coach — a trainer

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