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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. He is an ace ________________.
  2. The ________________ went through the wall.
  3. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  4. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  5. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  6. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  7. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  8. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  9. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  10. False peace will not ________________.
  11. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  12. I'll be taking the ________________.
  13. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  14. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  15. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  16. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  17. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  18. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  19. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  20. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  21. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  22. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  23. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  24. Have you met the new head ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — in baseball
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. root — of a word
  4. rest — what's left
  5. tube — in a tire
  6. coach — pulled by horses
  7. nail — on a finger
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. bowl — a dish
  10. last — to go on
  11. bowl — a football final
  12. tube — the underground
  13. rest — a break
  14. root — the cause
  15. last — final
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. bowl — to roll
  18. rest — what's left
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. root — of a plant
  21. tube — a container
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. last — finally
  24. coach — a trainer

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