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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. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  3. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  4. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  5. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  6. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  7. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  8. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  9. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  10. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  11. That must've been a ________________.
  12. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  13. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  14. Did you ________________ the meat?
  15. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  16. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  17. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  18. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  19. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  20. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  21. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  22. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  23. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  24. I'll be taking the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — a container
  2. mine — an explosive
  3. mine — for digging
  4. rush — hurry
  5. fork — a garden tool
  6. season — in sport
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. fork — in a road
  9. snap — to click
  10. lash — to lash out
  11. rush — a thrill
  12. snap — to speak sharply
  13. lash — a whip stroke
  14. season — to add flavour
  15. fork — to eat with
  16. season — of the year
  17. rush — to hurry
  18. tube — in a tire
  19. lash — an eyelash
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. mine — belonging to me
  22. stick — to attach or keep to
  23. snap — to snap out of it
  24. tube — the underground

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