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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 want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  2. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  3. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  4. Did you ________________ the button?
  5. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  6. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  7. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  8. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  9. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  10. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  11. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  12. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  13. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  14. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  15. What do you think of the new ________________?
  16. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  17. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  18. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  19. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  20. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  21. I'll be taking the ________________.
  22. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  23. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  24. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — a container
  2. pound — for dogs
  3. mark — a grade
  4. press — to push
  5. capital — a big letter
  6. capital — money
  7. cabinet — a cupboard
  8. mark — a trace
  9. press — a publisher
  10. pound — to hit hard
  11. row — a line
  12. pit — a hole
  13. tube — in a tire
  14. pound — a weight
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. pit — a fruit stone
  17. pit — in a race
  18. capital — a city
  19. row — a quarrel
  20. mark — to pay attention
  21. tube — the underground
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. press — newspapers
  24. row — to paddle

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