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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 can't ________________ this cold.
  2. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  3. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  4. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  5. Where did you ________________ them?
  6. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  7. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  8. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  9. You don't need to ________________ round.
  10. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  11. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  12. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  13. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  14. I'll be taking the ________________.
  15. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  16. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  17. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  18. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  19. The ________________ market has crashed.
  20. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  21. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  22. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  23. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  24. We're almost out of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — to bear
  2. hand — in cards
  3. tube — in a tire
  4. pit — a fruit stone
  5. mug — to rob
  6. pit — in a race
  7. spring — of water
  8. hand — help
  9. pop — to visit
  10. stand — on your feet
  11. stock — goods
  12. spring — the season
  13. pop — music
  14. tube — the underground
  15. spring — a coil
  16. hand — part of the body
  17. stock — a soup base
  18. pit — a hole
  19. stock — shares
  20. stand — for spectators
  21. mug — a face
  22. tube — a container
  23. mug — a cup
  24. pop — soda

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