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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. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  2. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  3. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  4. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  5. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  6. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  7. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  8. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  9. I'll be taking the ________________.
  10. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  11. The ________________ market has crashed.
  12. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  13. I can't ________________ this cold.
  14. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  15. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  16. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  17. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  18. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  19. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  20. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  21. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  22. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  23. Have you met the new head ________________?
  24. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — for baseball
  2. tube — in a tire
  3. coach — pulled by horses
  4. wind — moving air
  5. trunk — of a car
  6. stand — on your feet
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. trunk — of an elephant
  9. tube — the underground
  10. wind — to turn a key
  11. stock — shares
  12. stock — a soup base
  13. stand — to bear
  14. tube — a container
  15. trunk — of a tree
  16. fine — high quality
  17. stock — goods
  18. stand — for spectators
  19. wind — moving air
  20. fine — a penalty
  21. fine — all right
  22. bat — the animal
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. bat — in an idiom

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