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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: toast · tube · firm · pit · tear · march

  1. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  2. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  3. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  4. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  5. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  6. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  7. I'll be taking the ________________.
  8. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  9. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  10. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  11. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  12. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  13. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  14. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  15. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  16. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  17. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  18. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — a company
  2. tear — from crying
  3. pit — in a race
  4. pit — a fruit stone
  5. toast — the most admired
  6. tear — from crying
  7. tube — the underground
  8. firm — steady
  9. march — the month
  10. tube — a container
  11. firm — decided
  12. march — the month
  13. tear — to rip
  14. toast — bread
  15. tube — in a tire
  16. pit — a hole
  17. march — music
  18. toast — a drink to someone

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