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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. I'll be taking the ________________.
  2. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  3. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  4. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  5. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  6. Have you found your soul ________________?
  7. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  8. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  9. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  10. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  11. The ________________ went through the wall.
  12. There's no middle ________________.
  13. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  14. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  15. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  16. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  17. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  18. What do you think of the new ________________?
  19. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  20. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  21. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  22. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  23. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  24. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — the underground
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. ground — crushed
  4. cabinet — a cupboard
  5. wound — an injury
  6. mate — a partner
  7. craft — boats
  8. tube — a container
  9. ground — the earth
  10. wound — past of 'wind'
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. ground — a position
  13. craft — a skill
  14. pit — a hole
  15. nail — on a finger
  16. wound — an injury
  17. tube — in a tire
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. craft — a handicraft
  20. pit — a fruit stone
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. mate — a friend
  23. pit — in a race
  24. mate — to breed

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