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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. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  2. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  3. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  4. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  5. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  6. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  7. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  8. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  9. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  12. The ________________ went through the wall.
  13. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  14. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  15. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  16. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  17. I'll be taking the ________________.
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  20. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  21. Have you met the new head ________________?
  22. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  23. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  24. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — a container
  2. craft — a skill
  3. chest — a box
  4. net — for catching
  5. net — after costs
  6. chest — of your body
  7. object — to protest
  8. game — wild animals
  9. object — a thing
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. chest — of your body
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. tube — in a tire
  15. net — in sport
  16. nail — on a finger
  17. tube — the underground
  18. game — a match
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. object — an aim
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. coach — pulled by horses
  23. craft — a handicraft
  24. craft — boats

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