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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. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  2. He is an ace ________________.
  3. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  4. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  5. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  6. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  7. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  8. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  9. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  10. Did you ________________ the button?
  11. That was ________________ to happen.
  12. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  13. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  14. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  15. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  16. I'll be taking the ________________.
  17. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  18. The King held a masked ________________.
  19. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  20. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  21. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  22. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  23. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  24. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. pitcher — in baseball
  3. ball — a great time
  4. tube — in a tire
  5. chair — to sit on
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. stem — a stem cell
  8. stick — to attach or keep to
  9. chair — a professorship
  10. press — to push
  11. bound — certain
  12. bound — obliged
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. ball — a round shape
  15. stem — to come from
  16. tube — the underground
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. ball — a dance
  19. press — newspapers
  20. tube — a container
  21. chair — a leader
  22. press — a publisher
  23. stem — of a plant
  24. bound — tied together

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