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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'll be taking the ________________.
  2. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  3. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  4. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  5. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  6. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  7. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  8. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  9. That was ________________ to happen.
  10. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  11. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  12. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  13. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  14. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  15. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  16. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  17. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  18. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  19. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  20. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  21. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  22. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  23. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  24. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — the underground
  2. bound — tied together
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. present — a gift
  5. pitch — a sales talk
  6. rest — a break
  7. pitch — a sports field
  8. wound — an injury
  9. bound — certain
  10. wound — past of 'wind'
  11. rest — what's left
  12. row — a line
  13. row — to paddle
  14. wound — an injury
  15. present — the time now
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. stick — to attach or keep to
  18. row — a quarrel
  19. tube — a container
  20. present — there
  21. bound — obliged
  22. rest — what's left
  23. pitch — completely
  24. tube — in a tire

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