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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. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  2. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  3. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  4. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  5. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  6. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  7. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  8. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  9. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  10. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  11. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  12. The ball is in your ________________.
  13. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  14. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  15. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  16. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  17. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  18. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  19. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  20. I can't ________________ this cold.
  21. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  22. I'll be taking the ________________.
  23. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  24. The polar ice ________________ is melting.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — decided
  2. tube — in a tire
  3. rock — to move gently
  4. firm — a company
  5. fan — to cool the air
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. cap — a lid
  8. bark — of a tree
  9. rock — music
  10. bark — a dog's sound
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. court — for sport
  13. court — of law
  14. stand — for spectators
  15. cap — a hat
  16. tube — a container
  17. firm — steady
  18. bark — to shout
  19. rock — a stone
  20. stand — to bear
  21. stand — on your feet
  22. tube — the underground
  23. court — of a king
  24. cap — of ice

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