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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 need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  2. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  3. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  4. He is an ace ________________.
  5. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  6. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  7. I'll be taking the ________________.
  8. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  9. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  10. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  11. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  12. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  13. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  14. My father caught me by the ________________.
  15. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  16. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  17. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  18. Have you met the new head ________________?
  19. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  20. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  21. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  22. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  23. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  24. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — in a tire
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. pitcher — in baseball
  5. cue — for pool
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. tube — the underground
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. pitch — a sales talk
  10. pitch — a sports field
  11. coach — pulled by horses
  12. pitch — completely
  13. content — happy
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. content — videos and posts
  16. leaves — to go away
  17. leaves — lets stay
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. leaves — of a tree
  20. arm — a part of something
  21. content — the amount
  22. cue — a hint
  23. tube — a container
  24. cue — a signal

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