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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 116 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. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  2. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  3. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  4. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  5. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  6. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  7. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  8. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  9. I'll be taking the ________________.
  10. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  11. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  12. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  13. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  14. The ________________ took off on time.
  15. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  16. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  17. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  18. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  19. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  20. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  21. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  22. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  23. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  24. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.

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

Answer key

  1. object — an aim
  2. wake — a trail
  3. straw — dry grass
  4. wake — to stop sleeping
  5. tube — in a tire
  6. straw — a straw man
  7. object — a thing
  8. kid — to tease
  9. tube — the underground
  10. drill — the tool
  11. drill — army training
  12. pitch — completely
  13. object — to protest
  14. plane — an aircraft
  15. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  16. tube — a container
  17. plane — in geometry
  18. pitch — a sports field
  19. plane — a tool
  20. wake — before a funeral
  21. straw — to clutch at straws
  22. drill — a practice
  23. kid — child
  24. pitch — a sales talk

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