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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. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  2. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  3. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  4. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  5. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  6. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  7. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  8. The ________________ went through the wall.
  9. The water is too ________________.
  10. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  11. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  12. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  13. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  14. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  15. Have you met the new head ________________?
  16. I'll be taking the ________________.
  17. What do you think of the new ________________?
  18. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  19. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  20. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  21. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  22. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  23. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  24. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — music
  2. coach — pulled by horses
  3. cabinet — a cupboard
  4. tube — a container
  5. tube — in a tire
  6. trunk — of an elephant
  7. rock — to move gently
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. cold — not warm
  10. rock — a stone
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. trunk — of a tree
  13. trunk — of a car
  14. nail — on a finger
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. tube — the underground
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. ruler — a monarch
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. cold — the Cold War
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. cold — an illness
  24. ruler — for measuring

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