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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 120 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. When will it ________________ you to start?
  2. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  3. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  4. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  5. She's very handy with a ________________.
  6. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  7. I'll be taking the ________________.
  8. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  9. There's no middle ________________.
  10. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  11. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  12. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  13. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  14. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  15. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  16. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  17. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  18. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  19. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  20. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  21. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  22. He was locked up in a ________________.
  23. He works in a ________________ mill.
  24. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. suit — to fit
  2. tube — a container
  3. cell — in biology
  4. cell — a phone
  5. saw — the tool
  6. band — a ring
  7. tube — the underground
  8. ground — the earth
  9. ground — a position
  10. spring — the season
  11. saw — past of 'see'
  12. band — a rubber band
  13. chair — to sit on
  14. chair — a professorship
  15. spring — of water
  16. suit — in cards
  17. suit — clothes
  18. ground — crushed
  19. tube — in a tire
  20. spring — a coil
  21. chair — a leader
  22. cell — in a prison
  23. saw — the tool
  24. band — a music group

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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