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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. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  2. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  3. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  4. I'll be taking the ________________.
  5. The ________________ went through the wall.
  6. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  7. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  8. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  9. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  10. The King held a masked ________________.
  11. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  12. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  13. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  14. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  15. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  16. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  17. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  18. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  19. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  20. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  21. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  22. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  23. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  24. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?

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

Answer key

  1. wake — before a funeral
  2. ball — a great time
  3. object — an aim
  4. tube — the underground
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. tube — a container
  7. pit — a hole
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. pit — in a race
  10. ball — a dance
  11. dip — a sauce
  12. tube — in a tire
  13. pit — a fruit stone
  14. file — a document
  15. wake — to stop sleeping
  16. file — a tool
  17. file — a line of people
  18. nail — on a finger
  19. object — a thing
  20. ball — a round shape
  21. dip — to sink
  22. dip — to dunk
  23. wake — a trail
  24. object — to protest

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