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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. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  2. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  3. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  4. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  5. Did you ________________ the button?
  6. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  7. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  8. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  9. That must've been a ________________.
  10. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  11. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  12. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  13. I'll be taking the ________________.
  14. The ________________ went through the wall.
  15. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  16. False peace will not ________________.
  17. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  18. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  19. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  20. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  21. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  22. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  23. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  24. When was this ________________ built?

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. snap — to speak sharply
  3. rush — to hurry
  4. nail — on a finger
  5. press — to push
  6. tube — in a tire
  7. snap — to click
  8. last — final
  9. rush — a thrill
  10. last — finally
  11. pitch — a sports field
  12. tube — a container
  13. tube — the underground
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. last — to go on
  17. pitch — a sales talk
  18. rush — hurry
  19. press — a publisher
  20. pitch — completely
  21. temple — side of the head
  22. press — newspapers
  23. snap — to snap out of it
  24. temple — a place of worship

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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