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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. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  2. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  3. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  4. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  5. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  6. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  7. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  8. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  9. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  10. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  11. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  12. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  13. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  14. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  15. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  16. The ball is in your ________________.
  17. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  18. I'll be taking the ________________.
  19. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  20. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  21. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  22. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  23. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  24. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — lets stay
  2. tube — a container
  3. pitch — a sports field
  4. leaves — to go away
  5. court — of a king
  6. pitch — completely
  7. present — the time now
  8. tube — in a tire
  9. mine — for digging
  10. pitch — a sales talk
  11. mine — belonging to me
  12. ruler — for measuring
  13. stem — to come from
  14. court — of law
  15. stem — a stem cell
  16. court — for sport
  17. ruler — for measuring
  18. tube — the underground
  19. leaves — of a tree
  20. mine — an explosive
  21. ruler — a monarch
  22. present — a gift
  23. present — there
  24. stem — of a plant

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