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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. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  2. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  3. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  6. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  7. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  8. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  9. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  10. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  11. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  12. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  13. I'll be taking the ________________.
  14. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  15. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  16. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  17. The ________________ went through the wall.
  18. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  19. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  20. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  21. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  22. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  23. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  24. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. trunk — of a car
  3. face — to confront
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. nail — on a finger
  6. drill — army training
  7. trunk — of a tree
  8. drill — a practice
  9. chip — for betting
  10. bore — to drill
  11. chip — to eat
  12. tube — a container
  13. tube — the underground
  14. mine — an explosive
  15. bore — to tire
  16. chip — in a computer
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. face — part of the head
  19. tube — in a tire
  20. trunk — of an elephant
  21. mine — for digging
  22. drill — the tool
  23. bore — gave birth
  24. face — to point toward

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