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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. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  3. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  4. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  5. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  6. I'll be taking the ________________.
  7. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  8. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  9. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  10. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  11. It's one o'clock ________________.
  12. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  13. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  14. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  15. Did you ________________ the meat?
  16. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  17. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  18. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  19. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  20. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  21. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  22. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  23. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  24. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — in a tire
  2. firm — a company
  3. band — a ring
  4. face — to point toward
  5. sharp — clever
  6. tube — the underground
  7. band — a music group
  8. straw — dry grass
  9. season — of the year
  10. pound — a weight
  11. sharp — exactly
  12. pound — to hit hard
  13. face — to confront
  14. face — part of the head
  15. season — to add flavour
  16. sharp — with an edge
  17. tube — a container
  18. firm — steady
  19. pound — for dogs
  20. band — a rubber band
  21. firm — decided
  22. straw — to clutch at straws
  23. straw — a straw man
  24. season — in sport

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