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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. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  3. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  4. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  5. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  6. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  7. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  8. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  9. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  10. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  11. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  12. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  13. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  14. I'll be taking the ________________.
  15. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  16. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  17. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  18. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  19. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  20. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  21. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  22. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  23. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  24. Where did you ________________ them?

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

Answer key

  1. tube — in a tire
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. chest — of your body
  4. tube — a container
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. bat — the animal
  7. mug — a cup
  8. jam — to spread on bread
  9. bat — in an idiom
  10. jam — a tight spot
  11. racket — a loud noise
  12. bat — for baseball
  13. patient — calm and waiting
  14. tube — the underground
  15. pitch — completely
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. chest — of your body
  18. mug — a face
  19. chest — a box
  20. pitch — a sports field
  21. jam — in traffic
  22. pitch — a sales talk
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. mug — to rob

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