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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. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  2. I'll be taking the ________________.
  3. That must've been a ________________.
  4. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  5. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  6. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  7. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  8. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  9. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  10. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  11. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  12. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  13. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  14. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  15. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  16. I can't ________________ this cold.
  17. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  18. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  19. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  20. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  21. Have you found your soul ________________?
  22. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  23. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  24. David sat on the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — to breed
  2. tube — the underground
  3. rush — a thrill
  4. tube — in a tire
  5. straw — a straw man
  6. rush — hurry
  7. rush — to hurry
  8. chair — a leader
  9. swing — in golf
  10. scale — in music
  11. mate — a friend
  12. scale — for weighing
  13. stand — on your feet
  14. straw — to clutch at straws
  15. stand — for spectators
  16. stand — to bear
  17. tube — a container
  18. chair — a professorship
  19. chair — to sit on
  20. scale — size or range
  21. mate — a partner
  22. straw — dry grass
  23. swing — music
  24. swing — to play on

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