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

  1. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  2. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. The ________________ went through the wall.
  4. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  5. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  6. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  7. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  8. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  9. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  10. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  13. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  14. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  15. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  16. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  17. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  18. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  19. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  22. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  23. I'll be taking the ________________.
  24. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a football final
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. ruler — a monarch
  5. ruler — for measuring
  6. season — in sport
  7. nail — on a finger
  8. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  9. tube — a container
  10. root — of a plant
  11. hand — in cards
  12. root — of a word
  13. hand — part of the body
  14. season — of the year
  15. root — the cause
  16. bowl — to roll
  17. tube — in a tire
  18. kid — child
  19. ruler — for measuring
  20. hand — help
  21. bowl — a dish
  22. kid — to tease
  23. tube — the underground
  24. nail — for a hammer

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