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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'll be taking the ________________.
  2. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  3. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  4. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  5. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  6. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  7. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  8. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  9. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  10. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  11. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  12. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  13. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  14. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  15. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  16. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  17. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  18. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  19. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  20. The ball is in your ________________.
  21. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  22. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  23. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  24. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — the underground
  2. tube — a container
  3. chair — a leader
  4. chair — to sit on
  5. present — there
  6. lash — an eyelash
  7. court — of law
  8. tube — in a tire
  9. chair — a professorship
  10. drill — a practice
  11. present — the time now
  12. lash — to lash out
  13. band — a music group
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. drill — the tool
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. band — a ring
  18. drill — army training
  19. present — a gift
  20. court — for sport
  21. lie — to recline
  22. court — of a king
  23. band — a rubber band
  24. lash — a whip stroke

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