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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 want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  2. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  3. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  4. We're on a ________________ here.
  5. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  6. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  7. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  8. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  9. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  10. Don't do anything ________________.
  11. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  12. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  13. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  14. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  15. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  16. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  17. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  18. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  19. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  20. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  21. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  22. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  23. I'll be taking the ________________.
  24. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — a container
  2. straw — a straw man
  3. straw — dry grass
  4. roll — on a roll
  5. foot — part of the body
  6. foot — a measure
  7. pit — in a race
  8. foot — the bottom
  9. leaves — of a tree
  10. rash — hasty
  11. bat — in an idiom
  12. bat — for baseball
  13. straw — to clutch at straws
  14. leaves — to go away
  15. tube — in a tire
  16. roll — a list
  17. leaves — lets stay
  18. rash — on the skin
  19. roll — a cake
  20. pit — a fruit stone
  21. bat — the animal
  22. pit — a hole
  23. tube — the underground
  24. rash — a series

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