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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. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  3. She's very handy with a ________________.
  4. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  5. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  6. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  7. He works in a ________________ mill.
  8. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  9. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  10. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  11. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  12. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  13. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  14. That must've been a ________________.
  15. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  16. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  17. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  18. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  19. I'll be taking the ________________.
  20. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  21. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  22. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  23. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  24. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — a container
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. saw — the tool
  4. pass — to succeed
  5. face — to point toward
  6. clip — to cut
  7. saw — the tool
  8. pass — to spend time
  9. bowl — to roll
  10. rush — to hurry
  11. saw — past of 'see'
  12. bowl — a dish
  13. clip — a video
  14. rush — a thrill
  15. tube — in a tire
  16. face — to confront
  17. clip — for paper
  18. bowl — a football final
  19. tube — the underground
  20. rush — hurry
  21. pass — a permit
  22. face — part of the head
  23. racket — a loud noise
  24. racket — for tennis

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