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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. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  2. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  3. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  4. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  5. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  6. I'll be taking the ________________.
  7. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  8. How do you ________________ your surname?
  9. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  10. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  11. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  12. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  13. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  14. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  15. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  16. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  17. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  18. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  19. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  20. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  21. He is an ace ________________.
  22. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  23. It's one o'clock ________________.
  24. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — a short time
  2. drill — the tool
  3. drill — a practice
  4. tube — a container
  5. kick — a thrill
  6. tube — the underground
  7. tube — in a tire
  8. spell — letters
  9. kick — with a leg
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. fine — all right
  12. sharp — clever
  13. chest — of your body
  14. drill — army training
  15. spell — magic
  16. sharp — with an edge
  17. fine — a penalty
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. chest — a box
  20. chest — of your body
  21. pitcher — in baseball
  22. fine — high quality
  23. sharp — exactly
  24. kick — in football

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