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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. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  2. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  3. David sat on the ________________.
  4. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  7. The ________________ went through the wall.
  8. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  9. That must've been a ________________.
  10. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  11. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  12. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  13. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  14. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  15. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  16. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  17. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  18. My mare is ________________ in color.
  19. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  20. I'll be taking the ________________.
  21. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  22. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  23. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  24. Fill up this ________________ with water.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — hurry
  2. swing — music
  3. swing — to play on
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. mark — to pay attention
  9. rush — a thrill
  10. mark — a trace
  11. spring — a coil
  12. spring — the season
  13. tube — a container
  14. tube — in a tire
  15. rush — to hurry
  16. bay — to keep at bay
  17. nail — on a finger
  18. bay — a horse colour
  19. bay — a part of the sea
  20. tube — the underground
  21. swing — in golf
  22. mark — a grade
  23. spring — of water
  24. pitcher — a jug

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