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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. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  3. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  4. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  5. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  6. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  7. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  8. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  9. I'll be taking the ________________.
  10. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  11. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  14. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  15. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  16. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  17. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  18. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  19. When are we going to ________________?
  20. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  21. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  22. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  23. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  24. It's one o'clock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — in a tire
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. hide — animal skin
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. net — after costs
  6. staff — employees
  7. net — in sport
  8. land — a country
  9. tube — the underground
  10. land — ground
  11. bass — low music
  12. net — for catching
  13. squash — to crush
  14. staff — employees
  15. staff — a stick
  16. sharp — clever
  17. sharp — with an edge
  18. squash — the sport
  19. land — to come down
  20. bass — the fish
  21. bass — the instrument
  22. squash — the vegetable
  23. tube — a container
  24. sharp — exactly

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