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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. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  2. I've got to change the light ________________.
  3. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  4. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  5. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  6. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  7. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  8. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  9. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  10. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  11. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  12. It's one o'clock ________________.
  13. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  14. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  15. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  16. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  17. When was this ________________ built?
  18. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  19. I'll be taking the ________________.
  20. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  21. I can't ________________ this cold.
  22. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  23. The light ________________ burned out.
  24. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — for spectators
  2. bulb — for light
  3. temple — side of the head
  4. stand — on your feet
  5. sharp — with an edge
  6. chair — a leader
  7. tear — from crying
  8. tear — from crying
  9. sharp — clever
  10. chair — a professorship
  11. tear — to rip
  12. sharp — exactly
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. current — electric
  15. chair — to sit on
  16. current — of water
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. bulb — of a plant
  19. tube — the underground
  20. current — happening now
  21. stand — to bear
  22. tube — in a tire
  23. bulb — for light
  24. tube — a container

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