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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 need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  2. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  3. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  4. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  5. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  6. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  7. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  8. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  9. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  10. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  11. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  12. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  13. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  14. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  15. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  16. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  17. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  18. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  19. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  20. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  21. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  22. I'll be taking the ________________.
  23. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  24. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — in a tire
  2. firm — decided
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. straw — to clutch at straws
  5. row — a line
  6. pit — a fruit stone
  7. spring — the season
  8. spring — of water
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. pit — in a race
  11. row — to paddle
  12. tube — a container
  13. row — a quarrel
  14. straw — dry grass
  15. pit — a hole
  16. pass — to succeed
  17. spring — a coil
  18. hide — animal skin
  19. straw — a straw man
  20. pass — to spend time
  21. pass — a permit
  22. tube — the underground
  23. firm — steady
  24. firm — a company

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