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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 120 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 haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  2. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  3. Have you met the new head ________________?
  4. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  5. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  6. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  7. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  8. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  9. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  10. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  11. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  12. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  13. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  14. Did you ________________ the button?
  15. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  16. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  17. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  18. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  19. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  20. The water is too ________________.
  21. I'll be taking the ________________.
  22. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  23. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  24. We ________________ up on opposing sides.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. tube — a container
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. press — a publisher
  5. press — newspapers
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. wound — an injury
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. present — there
  10. wound — an injury
  11. racket — a loud noise
  12. tube — in a tire
  13. present — a gift
  14. press — to push
  15. cold — the Cold War
  16. present — the time now
  17. firm — a company
  18. firm — decided
  19. coach — pulled by horses
  20. cold — not warm
  21. tube — the underground
  22. firm — steady
  23. cold — an illness
  24. wound — past of 'wind'

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