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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 need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  2. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  3. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  4. I'll be taking the ________________.
  5. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  6. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  7. Have you met the new head ________________?
  8. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  9. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  10. He was locked up in a ________________.
  11. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  12. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  13. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  14. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  15. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  16. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  19. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  20. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  21. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  22. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  23. Did you ________________ the meat?
  24. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — in a tire
  2. cell — in biology
  3. snap — to click
  4. tube — the underground
  5. tube — a container
  6. march — the month
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. march — music
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. cell — in a prison
  11. season — in sport
  12. cell — a phone
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. snap — to speak sharply
  15. hide — animal skin
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. season — of the year
  18. march — the month
  19. cap — of ice
  20. cap — a lid
  21. coach — pulled by horses
  22. snap — to snap out of it
  23. season — to add flavour
  24. cap — a hat

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