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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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Word bank
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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: tube · ground · hide · cell · can · foot · cold · pit

  1. There's no middle ________________.
  2. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  3. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  4. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  5. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  6. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  7. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  8. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  9. He was locked up in a ________________.
  10. I'll be taking the ________________.
  11. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  12. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  13. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  14. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  15. The water is too ________________.
  16. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  17. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  18. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  19. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  20. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  21. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  22. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  23. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  24. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — a position
  2. tube — a container
  3. foot — a measure
  4. foot — part of the body
  5. tube — in a tire
  6. hide — animal skin
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. can — a tin
  9. cell — in a prison
  10. tube — the underground
  11. pit — a hole
  12. can — a tin
  13. cold — the Cold War
  14. pit — in a race
  15. cold — not warm
  16. cell — a phone
  17. foot — the bottom
  18. ground — crushed
  19. cold — an illness
  20. ground — the earth
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. pit — a fruit stone
  23. can — to be able to
  24. cell — in biology

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