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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. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  2. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  3. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  4. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  5. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  6. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  7. The ________________ went through the wall.
  8. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  9. I'll be taking the ________________.
  10. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  11. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  12. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  13. She's very handy with a ________________.
  14. He works in a ________________ mill.
  15. Where did you ________________ them?
  16. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  17. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  18. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  19. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  20. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  21. That was a fun ________________.
  22. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  23. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  24. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — before a funeral
  2. object — to protest
  3. mug — a cup
  4. game — a kind of play
  5. object — an aim
  6. mug — a face
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. game — wild animals
  9. tube — the underground
  10. fork — a garden tool
  11. nail — on a finger
  12. saw — past of 'see'
  13. saw — the tool
  14. saw — the tool
  15. mug — to rob
  16. tube — in a tire
  17. wake — a trail
  18. tube — a container
  19. object — a thing
  20. fork — in a road
  21. game — a match
  22. fork — to eat with
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. wake — to stop sleeping

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