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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: straw · game · bear · chair · tear · stick · pass · tube

  1. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  2. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  3. I'll be taking the ________________.
  4. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  5. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  6. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  7. That was a fun ________________.
  8. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  9. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  10. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  11. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  12. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  13. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  14. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  15. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  16. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  17. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  18. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  19. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  20. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  21. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  22. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  23. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  24. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a kind of play
  2. pass — a permit
  3. tube — the underground
  4. bear — the animal
  5. chair — to sit on
  6. stick — to attach or keep to
  7. game — a match
  8. pass — to succeed
  9. straw — a straw man
  10. chair — a professorship
  11. tube — a container
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. bear — to put up with
  14. tear — from crying
  15. bear — the animal
  16. chair — a leader
  17. straw — to clutch at straws
  18. tear — from crying
  19. tube — in a tire
  20. game — wild animals
  21. straw — dry grass
  22. tear — to rip
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. pass — to spend time

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