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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. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  3. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  4. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  5. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  6. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  7. I'll be taking the ________________.
  8. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  9. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  10. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  11. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  12. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  13. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  14. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  15. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  16. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  17. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  18. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  19. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  20. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  21. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  22. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  23. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  24. My mare is ________________ in color.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — a container
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. bear — to put up with
  4. pitch — a sales talk
  5. clip — for paper
  6. fan — to cool the air
  7. tube — the underground
  8. bay — a part of the sea
  9. tube — in a tire
  10. deal — a big deal
  11. pitch — a sports field
  12. present — a gift
  13. bay — to keep at bay
  14. deal — to handle
  15. present — there
  16. bear — the animal
  17. bear — the animal
  18. deal — an agreement
  19. clip — a video
  20. present — the time now
  21. clip — to cut
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. pitch — completely
  24. bay — a horse colour

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