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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 124 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 lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  2. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  3. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  4. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  5. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  6. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  7. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  8. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  9. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  10. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  11. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  12. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  13. Have you met the new head ________________?
  14. I'll be taking the ________________.
  15. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  16. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  17. I can't ________________ this cold.
  18. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  19. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  20. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  21. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  22. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  23. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  24. Hold the papers together with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — a box
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. coach — pulled by horses
  4. present — the time now
  5. clip — to cut
  6. tube — a container
  7. tube — in a tire
  8. cue — a signal
  9. band — a rubber band
  10. band — a music group
  11. stand — on your feet
  12. present — a gift
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. tube — the underground
  15. stand — for spectators
  16. cue — a hint
  17. stand — to bear
  18. band — a ring
  19. clip — a video
  20. cue — for pool
  21. chest — of your body
  22. present — there
  23. chest — of your body
  24. clip — for paper

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