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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. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  2. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  3. It's one o'clock ________________.
  4. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  5. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  6. Have you met the new head ________________?
  7. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  8. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  9. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  10. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  11. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  12. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  13. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  14. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  15. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  16. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  17. I'll be taking the ________________.
  18. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  19. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  20. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  21. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  22. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  23. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  24. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — in a tire
  2. tube — a container
  3. sharp — exactly
  4. squash — the sport
  5. net — in sport
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. pitch — completely
  8. foot — part of the body
  9. sharp — clever
  10. sharp — with an edge
  11. net — for catching
  12. pitch — a sports field
  13. ruler — for measuring
  14. coach — pulled by horses
  15. pitch — a sales talk
  16. foot — a measure
  17. tube — the underground
  18. foot — the bottom
  19. squash — to crush
  20. net — after costs
  21. squash — the vegetable
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. ruler — a monarch
  24. coach — a trainer

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