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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. She's very handy with a ________________.
  2. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  3. He works in a ________________ mill.
  4. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  5. I'll be taking the ________________.
  6. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  7. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  8. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  9. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  10. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  11. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  12. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  15. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  16. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  17. David sat on the ________________.
  18. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  19. Have you met the new head ________________?
  20. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  21. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  22. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  23. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  24. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. tube — a container
  3. saw — the tool
  4. spring — of water
  5. tube — the underground
  6. net — after costs
  7. swing — music
  8. object — a thing
  9. coach — pulled by horses
  10. net — for catching
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. saw — past of 'see'
  13. net — in sport
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. object — an aim
  16. swing — in golf
  17. swing — to play on
  18. spring — a coil
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. lie — to recline
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. object — to protest
  23. spring — the season
  24. tube — in a tire

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