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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. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  2. How do you ________________ your surname?
  3. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  4. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  5. The ball is in your ________________.
  6. I'll be taking the ________________.
  7. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  8. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  9. Did you ________________ the button?
  10. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  11. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  12. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  13. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  14. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  15. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  16. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  17. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  18. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  19. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  20. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  21. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  22. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  23. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  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. spell — letters
  3. spell — magic
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. court — for sport
  6. tube — the underground
  7. shower — to wash
  8. rock — music
  9. press — to push
  10. racket — a loud noise
  11. rock — to move gently
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. hide — animal skin
  14. court — of law
  15. court — of a king
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. press — newspapers
  18. spell — a short time
  19. shower — rain
  20. rock — a stone
  21. press — a publisher
  22. shower — a meteor shower
  23. racket — for tennis
  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