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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 want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  2. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  3. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  4. I'll be taking the ________________.
  5. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  6. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  7. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  8. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  9. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  10. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  11. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  12. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  13. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  14. It's one o'clock ________________.
  15. The King held a masked ________________.
  16. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  17. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  18. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  19. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  20. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  21. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  22. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  23. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  24. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!

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

Answer key

  1. tube — a container
  2. tube — in a tire
  3. net — for catching
  4. tube — the underground
  5. sharp — with an edge
  6. chair — a professorship
  7. net — after costs
  8. prune — to trim
  9. ball — a round shape
  10. prune — to trim
  11. face — to confront
  12. chair — to sit on
  13. chair — a leader
  14. sharp — exactly
  15. ball — a dance
  16. face — to point toward
  17. sharp — clever
  18. prune — the fruit
  19. ball — a great time
  20. face — part of the head
  21. bear — the animal
  22. bear — the animal
  23. net — in sport
  24. bear — to put up with

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