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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. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  3. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  4. I'll be taking the ________________.
  5. That was ________________ to happen.
  6. You don't need to ________________ round.
  7. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  8. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  9. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  10. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  11. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  12. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  13. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  14. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  15. It's one o'clock ________________.
  16. Did you ________________ the meat?
  17. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  18. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  19. We're almost out of ________________.
  20. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  21. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  22. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  23. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  24. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — in a tire
  2. sharp — with an edge
  3. chest — of your body
  4. tube — the underground
  5. bound — certain
  6. pop — to visit
  7. root — of a plant
  8. march — music
  9. march — the month
  10. sharp — clever
  11. bound — obliged
  12. chest — a box
  13. bound — tied together
  14. march — the month
  15. sharp — exactly
  16. season — to add flavour
  17. tube — a container
  18. chest — of your body
  19. pop — soda
  20. season — in sport
  21. root — the cause
  22. pop — music
  23. season — of the year
  24. root — of a word

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