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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. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  3. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  4. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  5. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  6. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  7. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  8. Have you met the new head ________________?
  9. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  10. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  11. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  12. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  13. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  14. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  15. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  16. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  17. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  18. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  19. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  20. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  21. I'll be taking the ________________.
  22. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  23. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  24. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — a container
  2. field — farmland
  3. tube — in a tire
  4. pit — a hole
  5. foot — part of the body
  6. kick — a thrill
  7. kick — in football
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. lean — thin
  10. coach — pulled by horses
  11. pit — a fruit stone
  12. field — for sport
  13. pass — to spend time
  14. foot — a measure
  15. kick — with a leg
  16. lean — to bend
  17. lean — to rest against
  18. pass — a permit
  19. pass — to succeed
  20. field — a subject
  21. tube — the underground
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. foot — the bottom
  24. pit — in a race

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