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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'll be taking the ________________.
  2. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  3. Where did you ________________ them?
  4. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  5. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  6. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  7. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  8. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  9. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  10. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  11. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  12. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  13. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  14. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  15. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  16. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  17. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  18. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  19. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  20. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  21. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  22. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  23. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  24. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — the underground
  2. pitch — a sales talk
  3. mug — to rob
  4. pitch — a sports field
  5. kid — to tease
  6. chair — to sit on
  7. tube — a container
  8. squash — to crush
  9. squash — the sport
  10. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  11. drill — the tool
  12. drill — a practice
  13. kid — child
  14. mug — a face
  15. stem — a stem cell
  16. squash — the vegetable
  17. tube — in a tire
  18. chair — a professorship
  19. pitch — completely
  20. chair — a leader
  21. stem — to come from
  22. mug — a cup
  23. drill — army training
  24. stem — of a plant

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