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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. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  2. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  3. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  4. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  5. The ________________ took off on time.
  6. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  7. I'll be taking the ________________.
  8. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  9. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  10. There's no middle ________________.
  11. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  12. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  13. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  14. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  15. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  16. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  17. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  18. False peace will not ________________.
  19. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  20. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  21. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  22. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  23. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  24. She's sitting on a gold ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. last — finally
  2. tube — in a tire
  3. ground — crushed
  4. ground — the earth
  5. plane — an aircraft
  6. rest — a break
  7. tube — the underground
  8. last — final
  9. racket — a loud noise
  10. ground — a position
  11. tube — a container
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. object — an aim
  14. mine — an explosive
  15. mine — belonging to me
  16. plane — in geometry
  17. object — to protest
  18. last — to go on
  19. rest — what's left
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. rest — what's left
  22. object — a thing
  23. plane — a tool
  24. mine — for digging

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