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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. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  3. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  4. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  5. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  6. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  7. I'll be taking the ________________.
  8. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  9. Did you ________________ the meat?
  10. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  11. That was a fun ________________.
  12. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  13. She's very handy with a ________________.
  14. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  15. The ________________ went through the wall.
  16. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  17. The ________________ market has crashed.
  18. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  19. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  20. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  21. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  22. He works in a ________________ mill.
  23. Have you met the new head ________________?
  24. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. tube — in a tire
  3. saw — past of 'see'
  4. game — a kind of play
  5. season — in sport
  6. rest — a break
  7. tube — the underground
  8. game — wild animals
  9. season — to add flavour
  10. tube — a container
  11. game — a match
  12. season — of the year
  13. saw — the tool
  14. rest — what's left
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. stock — a soup base
  17. stock — shares
  18. stock — goods
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. rest — what's left
  21. nail — on a finger
  22. saw — the tool
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. coach — pulled by horses

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