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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 116 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. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  2. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  3. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  4. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  5. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  6. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  7. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  8. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  9. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  10. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  11. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  12. That was a fun ________________.
  13. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  14. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  15. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  16. I'll be taking the ________________.
  17. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  18. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  19. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  20. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  21. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  22. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  23. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  24. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — of a tree
  2. pitch — completely
  3. lash — a whip stroke
  4. lash — an eyelash
  5. chair — to sit on
  6. pitch — a sales talk
  7. leaves — lets stay
  8. tube — in a tire
  9. clip — a video
  10. clip — for paper
  11. leaves — to go away
  12. game — a match
  13. tube — a container
  14. clip — to cut
  15. trunk — of an elephant
  16. tube — the underground
  17. chair — a professorship
  18. trunk — of a car
  19. trunk — of a tree
  20. game — a kind of play
  21. lash — to lash out
  22. game — wild animals
  23. pitch — a sports field
  24. chair — a leader

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