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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 need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  2. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  4. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  5. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  6. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  7. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  8. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  9. I'll be taking the ________________.
  10. Did you ________________ the meat?
  11. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  12. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  13. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  14. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  15. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  16. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  17. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  18. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  19. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  20. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  21. He is an ace ________________.
  22. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  23. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  24. Did you ________________ the button?

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

Answer key

  1. tube — in a tire
  2. season — of the year
  3. present — there
  4. rest — what's left
  5. band — a music group
  6. press — a publisher
  7. present — the time now
  8. season — in sport
  9. tube — the underground
  10. season — to add flavour
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. band — a rubber band
  13. rest — a break
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. band — a ring
  16. present — a gift
  17. rest — what's left
  18. kick — in football
  19. kick — with a leg
  20. press — newspapers
  21. pitcher — in baseball
  22. kick — a thrill
  23. tube — a container
  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