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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 120 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 was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  3. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  4. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  5. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  6. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  7. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  8. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  9. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  10. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  11. I'll be taking the ________________.
  12. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  13. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  14. The ________________ went through the wall.
  15. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  16. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  19. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  20. What do you think of the new ________________?
  21. There's no middle ________________.
  22. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  23. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  24. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — an explosive
  2. ground — the earth
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. tube — in a tire
  6. cabinet — a cupboard
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. racket — a loud noise
  9. pitch — completely
  10. hand — help
  11. tube — the underground
  12. pitch — a sports field
  13. ground — crushed
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. nail — on a finger
  16. pitch — a sales talk
  17. hand — in cards
  18. mine — belonging to me
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. ground — a position
  22. hand — part of the body
  23. mine — for digging
  24. tube — a container

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