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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. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  2. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  3. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  4. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  5. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  6. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  7. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  8. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  9. He works in a ________________ mill.
  10. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  11. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  12. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  13. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  14. The ________________ went through the wall.
  15. I'll be taking the ________________.
  16. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  17. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  18. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  19. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  20. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  21. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  22. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  23. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  24. She's very handy with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — a container
  2. drill — a practice
  3. pass — to succeed
  4. clip — to cut
  5. drill — army training
  6. pass — a permit
  7. bowl — a dish
  8. saw — past of 'see'
  9. saw — the tool
  10. cue — for pool
  11. tube — in a tire
  12. pass — to spend time
  13. bowl — a football final
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. tube — the underground
  16. cue — a signal
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. clip — for paper
  19. bowl — to roll
  20. cue — a hint
  21. drill — the tool
  22. clip — a video
  23. nail — on a finger
  24. saw — the tool

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