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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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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: pitcher · calf · bat · press · pop · tube · chair · foot

  1. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  2. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  3. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  4. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  5. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  6. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  7. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  8. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  9. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  10. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  11. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  12. You don't need to ________________ round.
  13. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  14. We're almost out of ________________.
  15. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  16. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  17. He is an ace ________________.
  18. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  19. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  20. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  21. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  22. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  23. I'll be taking the ________________.
  24. Did you ________________ the button?

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

Answer key

  1. tube — in a tire
  2. chair — to sit on
  3. chair — a professorship
  4. bat — the animal
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. press — a publisher
  7. press — newspapers
  8. calf — of the leg
  9. chair — a leader
  10. bat — for baseball
  11. foot — a measure
  12. pop — to visit
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. pop — soda
  15. foot — part of the body
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. pitcher — in baseball
  18. foot — the bottom
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. bat — in an idiom
  21. pop — music
  22. tube — a container
  23. tube — the underground
  24. press — to push

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