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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. The ________________ went through the wall.
  2. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  3. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  4. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  5. When are we going to ________________?
  6. The ball is in your ________________.
  7. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  8. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  9. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  10. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  11. I'll be taking the ________________.
  12. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  13. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  14. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  15. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  16. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  17. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  18. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  19. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  20. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  21. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  22. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  23. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  24. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. tube — a container
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. land — to come down
  6. court — for sport
  7. land — a country
  8. current — of water
  9. spring — the season
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. tube — the underground
  12. current — electric
  13. court — of a king
  14. toast — the most admired
  15. spring — of water
  16. tube — in a tire
  17. hide — animal skin
  18. nail — on a finger
  19. toast — bread
  20. land — ground
  21. current — happening now
  22. court — of law
  23. toast — a drink to someone
  24. spring — a coil

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