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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 need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  2. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  3. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  4. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  5. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  6. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  7. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  8. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  9. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  10. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. I'll be taking the ________________.
  13. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  14. My mare is ________________ in color.
  15. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  16. False peace will not ________________.
  17. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  18. The ________________ went through the wall.
  19. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  20. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  21. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  22. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  23. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  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. drill — the tool
  2. last — finally
  3. can — a tin
  4. tube — in a tire
  5. hand — help
  6. drill — army training
  7. hand — in cards
  8. drill — a practice
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. bay — a part of the sea
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. tube — the underground
  13. can — a tin
  14. bay — a horse colour
  15. band — a rubber band
  16. last — to go on
  17. band — a ring
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. last — final
  20. band — a music group
  21. can — to be able to
  22. nail — on a finger
  23. bay — to keep at bay
  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