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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. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  2. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  3. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  4. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  5. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  6. The ________________ took off on time.
  7. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  8. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  9. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  10. That must've been a ________________.
  11. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  12. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  13. I'll be taking the ________________.
  14. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  15. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  16. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  17. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  18. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  19. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  20. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  21. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  22. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  23. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  24. Beijing is the ________________ of China.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — in a tire
  2. chair — a professorship
  3. wind — to turn a key
  4. capital — money
  5. plane — a tool
  6. plane — an aircraft
  7. staff — employees
  8. staff — a stick
  9. staff — employees
  10. rush — a thrill
  11. bear — the animal
  12. rush — hurry
  13. tube — the underground
  14. rush — to hurry
  15. chair — a leader
  16. bear — the animal
  17. capital — a big letter
  18. chair — to sit on
  19. bear — to put up with
  20. wind — moving air
  21. wind — moving air
  22. tube — a container
  23. plane — in geometry
  24. capital — a city

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