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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. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  2. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  3. I'll be taking the ________________.
  4. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  5. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  6. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  7. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  8. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  9. He is an ace ________________.
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  12. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  13. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  14. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  15. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  16. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  17. I can't ________________ this cold.
  18. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  19. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  20. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  21. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  22. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  23. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  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. stand — for spectators
  2. stand — on your feet
  3. tube — the underground
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. fine — high quality
  6. fine — all right
  7. straw — to clutch at straws
  8. rule — to rule out
  9. pitcher — in baseball
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. bass — the instrument
  12. bass — the fish
  13. foot — part of the body
  14. bass — low music
  15. straw — a straw man
  16. tube — a container
  17. stand — to bear
  18. straw — dry grass
  19. fine — a penalty
  20. rule — government
  21. rule — a law
  22. foot — the bottom
  23. foot — a measure
  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