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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. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  3. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  4. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  5. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  6. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  7. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  8. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  9. I'll be taking the ________________.
  10. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  11. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  12. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  13. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  14. Where did you ________________ them?
  15. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  16. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  17. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  18. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  19. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  20. Did you ________________ the meat?
  21. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  22. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  23. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  24. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — a container
  2. chair — a leader
  3. chair — to sit on
  4. clip — for paper
  5. band — a rubber band
  6. lean — thin
  7. pass — a permit
  8. band — a ring
  9. tube — the underground
  10. mug — a face
  11. season — in sport
  12. season — of the year
  13. tube — in a tire
  14. mug — to rob
  15. lean — to rest against
  16. clip — to cut
  17. lean — to bend
  18. clip — a video
  19. mug — a cup
  20. season — to add flavour
  21. pass — to succeed
  22. band — a music group
  23. chair — a professorship
  24. pass — to spend time

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