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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. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  2. There's no middle ________________.
  3. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  4. I'll be taking the ________________.
  5. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  6. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  7. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  8. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  9. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  10. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  11. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  12. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  13. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  14. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  15. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  16. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  17. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  18. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  19. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  20. The ________________ went through the wall.
  21. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  22. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  23. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  24. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — a container
  2. ground — a position
  3. foot — the bottom
  4. tube — the underground
  5. tube — in a tire
  6. drill — the tool
  7. foot — a measure
  8. staff — a stick
  9. nail — on a finger
  10. staff — employees
  11. foot — part of the body
  12. board — to get on
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. drill — a practice
  15. chip — in a computer
  16. ground — crushed
  17. ground — the earth
  18. board — a flat piece
  19. board — a committee
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. chip — to eat
  22. staff — employees
  23. chip — for betting
  24. drill — army training

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