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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. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  2. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  3. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  4. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  5. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  6. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  7. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  8. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  9. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  10. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  11. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  12. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  13. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  14. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  15. It's one o'clock ________________.
  16. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  17. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  18. I'll be taking the ________________.
  19. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  20. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  21. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  22. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  23. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  24. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a document
  2. tube — in a tire
  3. drill — the tool
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. stick — to attach or keep to
  6. drill — a practice
  7. sharp — with an edge
  8. squash — the sport
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. racket — a loud noise
  11. sharp — clever
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. tube — a container
  15. sharp — exactly
  16. kick — in football
  17. file — a line of people
  18. tube — the underground
  19. drill — army training
  20. kick — a thrill
  21. file — a tool
  22. kick — with a leg
  23. squash — to crush
  24. squash — the vegetable

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