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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. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  2. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  3. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  4. My mare is ________________ in color.
  5. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  6. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  7. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  8. I'll be taking the ________________.
  9. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  10. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  11. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  12. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  13. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  14. He is an ace ________________.
  15. The ________________ went through the wall.
  16. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  17. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  18. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  19. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  20. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  21. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  22. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  23. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  24. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — a practice
  2. fan — to cool the air
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. bay — a horse colour
  5. tube — in a tire
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. bay — a part of the sea
  8. tube — the underground
  9. cue — a hint
  10. cue — for pool
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. file — a tool
  13. drill — army training
  14. pitcher — in baseball
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. tube — a container
  17. nail — on a finger
  18. file — a line of people
  19. cue — a signal
  20. bay — to keep at bay
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. file — a document
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. drill — the tool

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