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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 116 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. Have you met the new head ________________?
  2. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  3. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  4. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  5. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  6. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  7. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  8. I'll be taking the ________________.
  9. He works in a ________________ mill.
  10. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  11. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  12. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  13. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  14. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  15. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  16. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  17. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  18. She's very handy with a ________________.
  19. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  20. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  21. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  22. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  23. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  24. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. clip — to cut
  4. can — a tin
  5. row — a quarrel
  6. can — to be able to
  7. rest — a break
  8. tube — the underground
  9. saw — the tool
  10. tube — in a tire
  11. pit — a hole
  12. tube — a container
  13. row — to paddle
  14. coach — pulled by horses
  15. can — a tin
  16. rest — what's left
  17. row — a line
  18. saw — the tool
  19. clip — for paper
  20. rest — what's left
  21. clip — a video
  22. saw — past of 'see'
  23. pit — in a race
  24. pit — a fruit stone

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