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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. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  2. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  3. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  4. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  5. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  6. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  7. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  8. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  9. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  10. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  11. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  12. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  13. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  14. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  15. The ________________ went through the wall.
  16. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  17. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  18. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  19. I'll be taking the ________________.
  20. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  21. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  22. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  23. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  24. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — all right
  2. nail — on a finger
  3. squash — the sport
  4. trunk — of an elephant
  5. wind — moving air
  6. trunk — of a car
  7. mark — to pay attention
  8. tube — in a tire
  9. can — a tin
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. squash — to crush
  12. mark — a grade
  13. wind — to turn a key
  14. wind — moving air
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. fine — a penalty
  17. fine — high quality
  18. can — to be able to
  19. tube — the underground
  20. mark — a trace
  21. can — a tin
  22. squash — the vegetable
  23. trunk — of a tree
  24. tube — a container

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