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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. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  2. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  3. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  4. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  5. The ________________ went through the wall.
  6. Have you found your soul ________________?
  7. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  8. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  9. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  10. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  11. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  12. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  13. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  14. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  15. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  16. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  17. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  18. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  19. I'll be taking the ________________.
  20. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  21. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  22. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  23. That must've been a ________________.
  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. nail — for a hammer
  2. rush — to hurry
  3. mate — to breed
  4. bowl — to roll
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. mate — a partner
  7. field — for sport
  8. bowl — a dish
  9. tube — in a tire
  10. lean — to rest against
  11. bowl — a football final
  12. nail — on a finger
  13. lean — thin
  14. kick — in football
  15. field — farmland
  16. kick — with a leg
  17. lean — to bend
  18. kick — a thrill
  19. tube — the underground
  20. rush — hurry
  21. mate — a friend
  22. field — a subject
  23. rush — a thrill
  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