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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. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  3. That was ________________ to happen.
  4. There's no middle ________________.
  5. Did you ________________ the button?
  6. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  7. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  8. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  9. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  10. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  11. It's one o'clock ________________.
  12. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  13. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  14. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  15. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  16. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  17. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  18. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  19. I'll be taking the ________________.
  20. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  21. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  22. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  23. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  24. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — in a tire
  2. cue — for pool
  3. bound — certain
  4. ground — a position
  5. press — to push
  6. bound — obliged
  7. ground — the earth
  8. sharp — with an edge
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. press — newspapers
  11. sharp — exactly
  12. press — a publisher
  13. cue — a signal
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. bound — tied together
  16. ground — crushed
  17. band — a music group
  18. cue — a hint
  19. tube — the underground
  20. lie — to recline
  21. tube — a container
  22. sharp — clever
  23. band — a ring
  24. band — a rubber band

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