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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. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  3. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  4. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  5. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  6. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  7. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  8. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  9. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  10. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  11. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  12. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  13. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  14. The ________________ market has crashed.
  15. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  16. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  17. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  18. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  19. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  20. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  21. I'll be taking the ________________.
  22. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  23. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  24. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — in a tire
  2. shower — a meteor shower
  3. chair — a leader
  4. staff — employees
  5. staff — a stick
  6. chair — to sit on
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. bat — in an idiom
  9. stock — goods
  10. tube — a container
  11. shower — to wash
  12. stock — a soup base
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. stock — shares
  15. object — to protest
  16. shower — rain
  17. bat — for baseball
  18. chair — a professorship
  19. object — an aim
  20. bat — the animal
  21. tube — the underground
  22. staff — employees
  23. lie — to recline
  24. object — a thing

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