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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'll be taking the ________________.
  2. I can't ________________ this cold.
  3. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  4. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  5. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  6. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  7. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  8. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  9. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  10. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  11. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  12. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  13. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  14. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  15. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  16. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  17. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  18. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  19. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  20. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  21. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  22. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  23. The King held a masked ________________.
  24. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — the underground
  2. stand — to bear
  3. pass — to succeed
  4. tube — a container
  5. clip — for paper
  6. ball — a great time
  7. stand — on your feet
  8. pit — in a race
  9. clip — a video
  10. squash — the sport
  11. pass — a permit
  12. ball — a round shape
  13. clip — to cut
  14. face — part of the head
  15. pit — a fruit stone
  16. pass — to spend time
  17. tube — in a tire
  18. face — to confront
  19. stand — for spectators
  20. squash — the vegetable
  21. face — to point toward
  22. pit — a hole
  23. ball — a dance
  24. squash — to crush

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