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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. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  2. I'll be taking the ________________.
  3. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  4. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  5. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  6. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  7. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  8. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  9. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  10. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  11. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  12. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  13. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  14. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  15. Did you ________________ the meat?
  16. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  17. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  18. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  19. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  20. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  21. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  22. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  23. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  24. Spring is a pleasant ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — a box
  2. tube — the underground
  3. can — a tin
  4. pitch — a sales talk
  5. pitch — a sports field
  6. rule — to rule out
  7. rule — government
  8. pitch — completely
  9. straw — to clutch at straws
  10. clip — a video
  11. chest — of your body
  12. straw — dry grass
  13. rule — a law
  14. season — in sport
  15. season — to add flavour
  16. can — to be able to
  17. tube — in a tire
  18. chest — of your body
  19. clip — for paper
  20. can — a tin
  21. tube — a container
  22. clip — to cut
  23. straw — a straw man
  24. season — of the year

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