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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 want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  2. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  3. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  4. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  5. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  6. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  7. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  8. We're on a ________________ here.
  9. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  10. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  11. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  12. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  13. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  14. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  15. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  16. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  17. Did you ________________ the button?
  18. I'll be taking the ________________.
  19. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  20. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  21. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  22. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  23. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  24. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — a container
  2. press — newspapers
  3. pit — a hole
  4. pit — a fruit stone
  5. roll — a cake
  6. bear — the animal
  7. bat — the animal
  8. roll — on a roll
  9. tube — in a tire
  10. drill — army training
  11. pit — in a race
  12. jam — to spread on bread
  13. press — a publisher
  14. bat — for baseball
  15. drill — the tool
  16. jam — a tight spot
  17. press — to push
  18. tube — the underground
  19. bear — to put up with
  20. roll — a list
  21. drill — a practice
  22. bear — the animal
  23. jam — in traffic
  24. bat — in an idiom

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