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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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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. Where did you ________________ them?
  2. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  3. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  4. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  5. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  6. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  7. Did you ________________ the meat?
  8. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  9. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  10. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  11. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  12. My father caught me by the ________________.
  13. The ________________ went through the wall.
  14. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  15. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  16. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  17. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  18. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  19. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  20. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  21. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  22. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  23. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  24. I'll be taking the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — to rob
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. tube — in a tire
  4. cap — a lid
  5. bat — for baseball
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. season — to add flavour
  8. cap — of ice
  9. season — of the year
  10. mug — a face
  11. cap — a hat
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. bat — in an idiom
  15. mug — a cup
  16. rock — a stone
  17. nail — on a finger
  18. rock — music
  19. season — in sport
  20. arm — a part of something
  21. bat — the animal
  22. rock — to move gently
  23. tube — a container
  24. tube — the underground

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