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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. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  3. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  4. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  5. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  6. That must've been a ________________.
  7. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  8. We're on a ________________ here.
  9. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  10. I'll be taking the ________________.
  11. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  12. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  13. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  14. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  15. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  16. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  17. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  18. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  19. He was locked up in a ________________.
  20. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  21. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  22. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  23. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  24. Did you ________________ the button?

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

Answer key

  1. tube — a container
  2. pass — to succeed
  3. rest — a break
  4. rush — hurry
  5. pass — a permit
  6. rush — a thrill
  7. pass — to spend time
  8. roll — on a roll
  9. cell — a phone
  10. tube — the underground
  11. kick — in football
  12. tube — in a tire
  13. cell — in biology
  14. kick — with a leg
  15. rest — what's left
  16. roll — a list
  17. press — a publisher
  18. press — newspapers
  19. cell — in a prison
  20. kick — a thrill
  21. rush — to hurry
  22. roll — a cake
  23. rest — what's left
  24. press — to push

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