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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'll be taking the ________________.
  2. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  3. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  4. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  5. I can't ________________ this cold.
  6. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  7. That was a fun ________________.
  8. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  9. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  10. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  11. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  12. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  13. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  14. He works in a ________________ mill.
  15. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  16. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  17. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  18. She's very handy with a ________________.
  19. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  20. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  21. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  22. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  23. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  24. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — the underground
  2. hand — part of the body
  3. tube — a container
  4. saw — past of 'see'
  5. stand — to bear
  6. deal — to handle
  7. game — a match
  8. hand — help
  9. tube — in a tire
  10. deal — an agreement
  11. game — a kind of play
  12. hand — in cards
  13. trunk — of an elephant
  14. saw — the tool
  15. root — the cause
  16. trunk — of a tree
  17. trunk — of a car
  18. saw — the tool
  19. root — of a plant
  20. stand — on your feet
  21. stand — for spectators
  22. root — of a word
  23. game — wild animals
  24. deal — a big deal

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