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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 120 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. Have you met the new head ________________?
  2. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  3. The ________________ went through the wall.
  4. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  5. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  6. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  7. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  8. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  9. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  10. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  11. The water is too ________________.
  12. I'll be taking the ________________.
  13. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  14. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  15. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  16. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  17. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  18. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  19. He was locked up in a ________________.
  20. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  21. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  22. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  23. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  24. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. coach — pulled by horses
  5. mark — to pay attention
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. foot — the bottom
  8. mark — a trace
  9. cell — in biology
  10. tube — in a tire
  11. cold — not warm
  12. tube — the underground
  13. tube — a container
  14. mark — a grade
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. cold — an illness
  17. nail — on a finger
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. cell — in a prison
  20. cold — the Cold War
  21. mouse — for a computer
  22. cell — a phone
  23. foot — part of the body
  24. foot — a measure

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