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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. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  3. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  4. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  5. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  6. When are we going to ________________?
  7. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  8. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  9. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  10. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  11. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  12. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  13. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  14. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  15. I'll be taking the ________________.
  16. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  17. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  18. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  19. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  20. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  21. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  22. The ________________ went through the wall.
  23. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  24. I assure you, everything's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. scale — in music
  3. straw — dry grass
  4. scale — for weighing
  5. nail — on a finger
  6. land — to come down
  7. straw — a straw man
  8. fine — high quality
  9. tube — in a tire
  10. chair — a leader
  11. land — ground
  12. fine — a penalty
  13. scale — size or range
  14. chair — to sit on
  15. tube — the underground
  16. rock — music
  17. rock — to move gently
  18. land — a country
  19. tube — a container
  20. rock — a stone
  21. chair — a professorship
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. straw — to clutch at straws
  24. fine — all right

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