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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 120 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 need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  2. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  3. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  4. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  5. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  6. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  7. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  8. I'll be taking the ________________.
  9. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  10. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  11. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  12. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  13. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  14. The ________________ went through the wall.
  15. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  16. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  17. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  18. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  19. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  20. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  21. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  22. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  23. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  24. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — in a tire
  2. field — farmland
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. fine — a penalty
  5. rock — to move gently
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. chair — a leader
  8. tube — the underground
  9. chair — a professorship
  10. bat — the animal
  11. tube — a container
  12. fine — high quality
  13. calf — of the leg
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. field — a subject
  16. bat — in an idiom
  17. rock — a stone
  18. bat — for baseball
  19. field — for sport
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. fine — all right
  22. rock — music
  23. chair — to sit on
  24. nail — on a finger

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