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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 put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  2. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  3. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  4. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  5. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  6. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  7. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  8. The ball is in your ________________.
  9. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  10. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  11. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  12. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  13. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  14. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  15. I'll be taking the ________________.
  16. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  17. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  18. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  19. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  20. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  21. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  22. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  23. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  24. There's a computer ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — to sit on
  2. court — of a king
  3. tube — in a tire
  4. wind — moving air
  5. bat — in an idiom
  6. wind — moving air
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. court — for sport
  9. wind — to turn a key
  10. bat — for baseball
  11. tube — a container
  12. court — of law
  13. chip — to eat
  14. cue — a signal
  15. tube — the underground
  16. chair — a professorship
  17. cue — a hint
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. racket — a loud noise
  20. chip — for betting
  21. cue — for pool
  22. bat — the animal
  23. chair — a leader
  24. chip — in a computer

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