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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 120 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. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  3. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  4. I can't ________________ this cold.
  5. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  6. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  7. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  8. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  9. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  10. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  11. I'll be taking the ________________.
  12. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  13. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  14. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  15. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  16. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  17. The ball is in your ________________.
  18. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  19. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  20. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  21. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  22. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  23. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  24. He was blown up by a land ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — in a tire
  2. pitch — a sports field
  3. pit — a fruit stone
  4. stand — to bear
  5. bat — in an idiom
  6. pitch — completely
  7. pitch — a sales talk
  8. stand — on your feet
  9. mine — belonging to me
  10. bat — for baseball
  11. tube — the underground
  12. pit — a hole
  13. pit — in a race
  14. court — of a king
  15. bowl — a dish
  16. mine — for digging
  17. court — for sport
  18. stand — for spectators
  19. tube — a container
  20. bowl — to roll
  21. court — of law
  22. bat — the animal
  23. bowl — a football final
  24. mine — an explosive

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