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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 like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  2. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  3. I've got to change the light ________________.
  4. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  5. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  6. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  7. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  8. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  9. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  10. The light ________________ burned out.
  11. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  12. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  15. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  16. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  17. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  18. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  19. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  20. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  21. Where did you ________________ them?
  22. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  23. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  24. I'll be taking the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — bread
  2. tube — in a tire
  3. bulb — for light
  4. mug — a face
  5. chair — to sit on
  6. chair — a leader
  7. toast — the most admired
  8. hand — in cards
  9. bulb — of a plant
  10. bulb — for light
  11. chair — a professorship
  12. bass — low music
  13. hand — help
  14. mug — a cup
  15. bass — the fish
  16. bore — to tire
  17. tube — a container
  18. toast — a drink to someone
  19. hand — part of the body
  20. bore — gave birth
  21. mug — to rob
  22. bass — the instrument
  23. bore — to drill
  24. tube — the underground

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