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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. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  3. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  4. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  5. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  6. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  7. My father caught me by the ________________.
  8. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  9. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  10. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  11. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  12. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  13. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  14. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  15. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  18. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  19. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  20. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  21. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  22. I'll be taking the ________________.
  23. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  24. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — in a tire
  2. arm — a part of something
  3. scale — in music
  4. leaves — to go away
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. net — after costs
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. field — farmland
  9. leaves — of a tree
  10. tube — a container
  11. scale — for weighing
  12. fall — to drop
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. fall — the season
  15. field — for sport
  16. net — in sport
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. net — for catching
  19. fall — to drop
  20. field — a subject
  21. scale — size or range
  22. tube — the underground
  23. racket — a loud noise
  24. leaves — lets stay

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