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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. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  3. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  4. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  5. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  6. My mare is ________________ in color.
  7. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  8. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  9. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  10. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  11. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  12. I'll be taking the ________________.
  13. The ________________ market has crashed.
  14. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  15. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  16. The ________________ took off on time.
  17. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  18. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  19. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  20. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  21. The ________________ went through the wall.
  22. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  23. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  24. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — a container
  2. bay — to keep at bay
  3. deal — a big deal
  4. deal — an agreement
  5. tube — in a tire
  6. bay — a horse colour
  7. stock — a soup base
  8. nail — on a finger
  9. stock — goods
  10. lean — to bend
  11. row — a line
  12. tube — the underground
  13. stock — shares
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. row — to paddle
  16. plane — an aircraft
  17. lean — to rest against
  18. lean — thin
  19. plane — a tool
  20. deal — to handle
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. plane — in geometry
  23. row — a quarrel
  24. bay — a part of the sea

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