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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. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  2. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  3. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  4. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  5. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  6. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  7. I'll be taking the ________________.
  8. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  9. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  10. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  11. The ________________ took off on time.
  12. When will it ________________ you to start?
  13. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  14. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  15. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  16. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  17. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  18. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  19. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  20. That was ________________ to happen.
  21. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  22. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  23. The water is too ________________.
  24. I've got the luggage in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sports field
  2. cold — an illness
  3. tube — a container
  4. bound — obliged
  5. trunk — of an elephant
  6. bound — tied together
  7. tube — the underground
  8. foot — part of the body
  9. foot — a measure
  10. plane — a tool
  11. plane — an aircraft
  12. suit — to fit
  13. foot — the bottom
  14. suit — in cards
  15. pitch — completely
  16. suit — clothes
  17. trunk — of a tree
  18. tube — in a tire
  19. plane — in geometry
  20. bound — certain
  21. cold — the Cold War
  22. pitch — a sales talk
  23. cold — not warm
  24. trunk — of a car

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