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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. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  2. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  3. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  4. Did you ________________ the meat?
  5. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  6. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  7. How do you ________________ your surname?
  8. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  9. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  10. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  11. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  12. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  13. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  14. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  15. I'll be taking the ________________.
  16. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  17. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  18. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  19. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  20. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  21. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  22. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  23. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  24. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — a container
  2. drill — the tool
  3. season — in sport
  4. season — to add flavour
  5. pitch — a sales talk
  6. drill — a practice
  7. spell — letters
  8. spell — magic
  9. chip — for betting
  10. pitch — a sports field
  11. bat — for baseball
  12. bat — the animal
  13. tube — in a tire
  14. chip — in a computer
  15. tube — the underground
  16. season — of the year
  17. bat — in an idiom
  18. leaves — of a tree
  19. pitch — completely
  20. leaves — to go away
  21. chip — to eat
  22. drill — army training
  23. spell — a short time
  24. leaves — lets stay

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