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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. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  2. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  3. The ball is in your ________________.
  4. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  5. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  6. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  7. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  8. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  9. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  10. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  11. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  12. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  13. The ________________ went through the wall.
  14. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  15. I'll be taking the ________________.
  16. When are we going to ________________?
  17. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  18. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  19. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  20. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  21. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  22. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  23. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  24. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a football final
  2. file — a line of people
  3. court — for sport
  4. tube — a container
  5. file — a document
  6. nail — on a finger
  7. file — a tool
  8. snap — to snap out of it
  9. snap — to click
  10. court — of a king
  11. bowl — to roll
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. land — a country
  15. tube — the underground
  16. land — to come down
  17. snap — to speak sharply
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. land — ground
  21. bowl — a dish
  22. safe — a strongbox
  23. tube — in a tire
  24. court — of law

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