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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 want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  2. There's no middle ________________.
  3. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  4. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  5. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  6. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  7. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  8. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  9. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  10. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  11. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  12. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  13. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  14. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  15. I'll be taking the ________________.
  16. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  17. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  18. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  19. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  20. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  21. I've got to change the light ________________.
  22. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  23. The light ________________ burned out.
  24. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — a container
  2. ground — a position
  3. wound — an injury
  4. tube — in a tire
  5. rest — what's left
  6. wound — past of 'wind'
  7. wound — an injury
  8. pass — to spend time
  9. pitch — completely
  10. clip — a video
  11. bulb — of a plant
  12. clip — to cut
  13. rest — a break
  14. rest — what's left
  15. tube — the underground
  16. pass — a permit
  17. pitch — a sales talk
  18. clip — for paper
  19. ground — the earth
  20. ground — crushed
  21. bulb — for light
  22. pitch — a sports field
  23. bulb — for light
  24. pass — to succeed

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