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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 need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  2. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  3. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  4. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. Have you met the new head ________________?
  7. The tickets are free of ________________.
  8. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  9. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  10. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  11. I'll be taking the ________________.
  12. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  13. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  14. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  15. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  19. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  20. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  21. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  22. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  23. False peace will not ________________.
  24. What was your ________________ profit last year?

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

Answer key

  1. tube — in a tire
  2. bat — in an idiom
  3. tube — a container
  4. file — a line of people
  5. last — final
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. charge — a price
  8. charge — in control
  9. bowl — a football final
  10. file — a document
  11. tube — the underground
  12. coach — pulled by horses
  13. bat — for baseball
  14. bowl — to roll
  15. bat — the animal
  16. net — for catching
  17. net — in sport
  18. file — a tool
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. last — finally
  21. bowl — a dish
  22. charge — electricity
  23. last — to go on
  24. net — after costs

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