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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. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  2. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  3. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  4. The ________________ went through the wall.
  5. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  6. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  7. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  8. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  9. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  10. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  11. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  12. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  13. False peace will not ________________.
  14. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  15. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  16. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  17. My father caught me by the ________________.
  18. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  19. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  20. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  21. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  22. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  23. I'll be taking the ________________.
  24. Did you ________________ the meat?

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

Answer key

  1. nail — on a finger
  2. tube — a container
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. mine — for digging
  6. safe — out of danger
  7. season — in sport
  8. season — of the year
  9. drill — the tool
  10. tube — in a tire
  11. drill — a practice
  12. last — final
  13. last — to go on
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. drill — army training
  16. safe — a strongbox
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. arm — a part of something
  19. last — finally
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. mine — belonging to me
  22. mine — an explosive
  23. tube — the underground
  24. season — to add flavour

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