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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'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  2. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  3. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  4. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  5. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  6. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  7. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  8. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  9. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  10. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  11. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  12. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  13. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  14. When are we going to ________________?
  15. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  16. I'll be taking the ________________.
  17. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  18. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  19. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  20. The ________________ went through the wall.
  21. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  22. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  23. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  24. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.

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

Answer key

  1. land — ground
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. cue — for pool
  4. scale — size or range
  5. scale — in music
  6. root — the cause
  7. present — a gift
  8. scale — for weighing
  9. cue — a signal
  10. land — a country
  11. lean — thin
  12. cue — a hint
  13. lean — to rest against
  14. land — to come down
  15. present — the time now
  16. tube — the underground
  17. present — there
  18. tube — in a tire
  19. lean — to bend
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. root — of a plant
  22. nail — on a finger
  23. root — of a word
  24. tube — a container

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