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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. The ________________ went through the wall.
  2. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  3. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  4. We're on a ________________ here.
  5. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  6. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  7. I'll be taking the ________________.
  8. That was a fun ________________.
  9. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  10. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  11. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  12. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  13. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  14. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  15. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  16. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  17. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  18. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  19. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  20. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  21. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  22. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  23. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  24. This piece is in a major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. pit — in a race
  3. roll — a cake
  4. roll — on a roll
  5. toast — the most admired
  6. bowl — a dish
  7. tube — the underground
  8. game — a match
  9. game — a kind of play
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. game — wild animals
  12. pit — a fruit stone
  13. bowl — a football final
  14. tube — a container
  15. key — for a lock
  16. toast — bread
  17. roll — a list
  18. bowl — to roll
  19. pit — a hole
  20. key — the most important part
  21. tube — in a tire
  22. nail — on a finger
  23. toast — a drink to someone
  24. key — in music

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