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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. I'll be taking the ________________.
  2. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  3. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  4. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  5. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  6. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  7. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  8. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  9. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  10. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  11. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  12. I can't ________________ this cold.
  13. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  14. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  15. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  16. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  17. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  18. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  19. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  20. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  21. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  22. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  23. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  24. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — the underground
  2. rock — to move gently
  3. bat — the animal
  4. shower — a meteor shower
  5. bat — in an idiom
  6. mark — to pay attention
  7. bat — for baseball
  8. mark — a grade
  9. rock — music
  10. tube — in a tire
  11. shower — to wash
  12. stand — to bear
  13. present — there
  14. mark — a trace
  15. present — the time now
  16. pass — a permit
  17. present — a gift
  18. stand — on your feet
  19. shower — rain
  20. stand — for spectators
  21. pass — to succeed
  22. rock — a stone
  23. pass — to spend time
  24. tube — a container

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