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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 124 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. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  3. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  4. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  5. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  6. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  7. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  8. I can't ________________ this cold.
  9. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  10. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  11. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  12. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  13. There's no middle ________________.
  14. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  15. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  16. Have you met the new head ________________?
  17. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  18. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  19. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  20. My father caught me by the ________________.
  21. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  22. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  23. I'll be taking the ________________.
  24. A black ________________ roamed the forest.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — a container
  2. capital — a big letter
  3. stand — on your feet
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. chair — a leader
  6. chair — to sit on
  7. bear — the animal
  8. stand — to bear
  9. coach — pulled by horses
  10. ground — the earth
  11. capital — money
  12. chair — a professorship
  13. ground — a position
  14. capital — a city
  15. ground — crushed
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. arm — a part of something
  19. stand — for spectators
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. tube — in a tire
  22. bear — to put up with
  23. tube — the underground
  24. bear — the animal

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