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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 want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  2. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  3. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  4. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  5. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  6. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  7. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  8. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  9. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  10. I'll be taking the ________________.
  11. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  12. It's one o'clock ________________.
  13. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  14. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  15. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  16. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  17. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  18. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  19. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  20. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  21. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  22. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  23. The King held a masked ________________.
  24. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — a container
  2. wave — with your hand
  3. straw — dry grass
  4. sharp — clever
  5. tube — in a tire
  6. ball — a great time
  7. drill — the tool
  8. sharp — with an edge
  9. drill — a practice
  10. tube — the underground
  11. face — to confront
  12. sharp — exactly
  13. drill — army training
  14. straw — to clutch at straws
  15. straw — a straw man
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. wave — of the sea
  18. ruler — for measuring
  19. wave — a sudden rise
  20. ruler — a monarch
  21. face — part of the head
  22. ball — a round shape
  23. ball — a dance
  24. face — to point toward

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