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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. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  2. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  3. I'll be taking the ________________.
  4. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  5. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  6. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  7. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  10. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  11. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  12. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  13. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  14. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  15. Did you ________________ the button?
  16. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  17. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  18. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  19. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  20. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  21. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  22. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  23. Did you ________________ the meat?
  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. pass — to succeed
  2. tube — in a tire
  3. tube — the underground
  4. foot — part of the body
  5. net — for catching
  6. chair — to sit on
  7. season — in sport
  8. net — in sport
  9. foot — a measure
  10. chair — a professorship
  11. cue — a hint
  12. pass — a permit
  13. pass — to spend time
  14. chair — a leader
  15. press — to push
  16. press — a publisher
  17. foot — the bottom
  18. press — newspapers
  19. season — of the year
  20. tube — a container
  21. cue — for pool
  22. net — after costs
  23. season — to add flavour
  24. cue — a signal

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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