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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. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  2. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  3. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  4. He works in a ________________ mill.
  5. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  6. The ________________ market has crashed.
  7. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  10. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  11. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  12. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  13. He is an ace ________________.
  14. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  15. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  16. The ________________ took off on time.
  17. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  18. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  19. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  20. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  21. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  22. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  23. She's very handy with a ________________.
  24. I'll be taking the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — a break
  2. fine — high quality
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. saw — the tool
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. stock — shares
  7. tube — in a tire
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. stock — a soup base
  10. saw — past of 'see'
  11. rest — what's left
  12. plane — a tool
  13. pitcher — in baseball
  14. fine — a penalty
  15. tube — a container
  16. plane — an aircraft
  17. rest — what's left
  18. plane — in geometry
  19. stock — goods
  20. mine — belonging to me
  21. fine — all right
  22. mine — for digging
  23. saw — the tool
  24. tube — the underground

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