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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. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  2. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  3. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  4. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  5. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  6. The ________________ went through the wall.
  7. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  8. I'll be taking the ________________.
  9. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  10. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  11. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  12. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  13. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  14. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  15. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  16. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  17. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  18. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  19. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  20. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  21. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  22. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  23. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  24. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. tube — in a tire
  3. wound — an injury
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. pitch — a sales talk
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. spring — of water
  8. tube — the underground
  9. tube — a container
  10. calf — of the leg
  11. pitch — a sports field
  12. mark — a grade
  13. spring — the season
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. foot — a measure
  16. mark — to pay attention
  17. foot — the bottom
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. spring — a coil
  20. pitch — completely
  21. wound — past of 'wind'
  22. foot — part of the body
  23. mark — a trace
  24. nail — on a finger

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