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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. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  2. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  5. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  6. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  7. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  8. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  9. I'll be taking the ________________.
  10. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  11. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  12. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  13. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  14. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  15. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  16. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  17. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  18. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  19. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  20. Where did you ________________ them?
  21. Did you ________________ the button?
  22. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  23. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  24. He refilled his coffee ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a face
  2. tube — in a tire
  3. hand — help
  4. pitch — a sales talk
  5. hand — in cards
  6. fine — high quality
  7. pitch — a sports field
  8. bowl — a football final
  9. tube — the underground
  10. press — newspapers
  11. fine — all right
  12. clip — for paper
  13. tube — a container
  14. press — a publisher
  15. pitch — completely
  16. bowl — to roll
  17. clip — a video
  18. fine — a penalty
  19. bowl — a dish
  20. mug — to rob
  21. press — to push
  22. hand — part of the body
  23. clip — to cut
  24. mug — a cup

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