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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's quite ________________, isn't he?
  2. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  3. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  4. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  5. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  6. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  7. I'll be taking the ________________.
  8. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  9. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  10. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  11. The ________________ went through the wall.
  12. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  13. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  14. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  15. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  16. It's one o'clock ________________.
  17. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  18. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  19. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  20. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  21. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  22. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  23. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  24. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — clever
  2. fan — to cool the air
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. bear — to put up with
  5. pass — to succeed
  6. kid — to tease
  7. tube — the underground
  8. pass — to spend time
  9. squash — the sport
  10. sharp — with an edge
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. kid — child
  13. bear — the animal
  14. tube — in a tire
  15. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  16. sharp — exactly
  17. tube — a container
  18. nail — on a finger
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. pass — a permit
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. bear — the animal
  23. squash — to crush
  24. squash — the vegetable

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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