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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. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  2. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  3. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  4. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  5. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  6. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  7. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  8. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  9. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  10. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  11. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  12. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  13. He was locked up in a ________________.
  14. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  15. There's no middle ________________.
  16. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  17. I'll be taking the ________________.
  18. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  19. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  20. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  21. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  22. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  23. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  24. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — the tool
  2. scale — size or range
  3. row — to paddle
  4. tube — a container
  5. cell — in biology
  6. squash — to crush
  7. row — a quarrel
  8. drill — a practice
  9. row — a line
  10. ground — the earth
  11. chip — for betting
  12. chip — to eat
  13. cell — in a prison
  14. drill — army training
  15. ground — a position
  16. chip — in a computer
  17. tube — the underground
  18. squash — the sport
  19. ground — crushed
  20. tube — in a tire
  21. scale — in music
  22. squash — the vegetable
  23. cell — a phone
  24. scale — for weighing

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