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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. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  2. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  3. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  4. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  5. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  6. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  7. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  8. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  9. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  10. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  11. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  12. That must've been a ________________.
  13. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  14. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  15. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  16. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  17. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  18. I'll be taking the ________________.
  19. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  20. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  21. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  22. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  23. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  24. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sales talk
  2. tube — in a tire
  3. craft — a handicraft
  4. bat — in an idiom
  5. tube — a container
  6. craft — boats
  7. pitch — completely
  8. ruler — a monarch
  9. bat — for baseball
  10. shower — a meteor shower
  11. rush — to hurry
  12. rush — a thrill
  13. cue — a signal
  14. rush — hurry
  15. shower — rain
  16. shower — to wash
  17. ruler — for measuring
  18. tube — the underground
  19. pitch — a sports field
  20. cue — a hint
  21. bat — the animal
  22. craft — a skill
  23. cue — for pool
  24. ruler — for measuring

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