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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. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  2. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  3. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  4. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  5. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  6. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  7. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  8. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  9. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  10. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  11. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  12. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  13. Where did you ________________ them?
  14. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  15. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  16. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  17. I'll be taking the ________________.
  18. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  19. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  20. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  21. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  22. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  23. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  24. The flowers bloom in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — completely
  2. present — a gift
  3. tube — in a tire
  4. present — the time now
  5. mug — a face
  6. straw — dry grass
  7. track — a song
  8. wax — to grow
  9. pitch — a sales talk
  10. straw — a straw man
  11. track — a path
  12. tube — a container
  13. mug — to rob
  14. spring — a coil
  15. wax — for sculpting
  16. spring — of water
  17. tube — the underground
  18. present — there
  19. wax — in the ear
  20. mug — a cup
  21. track — to keep track
  22. straw — to clutch at straws
  23. pitch — a sports field
  24. spring — the season

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