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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 116 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. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  2. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  3. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  4. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  5. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  6. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  7. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  8. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  9. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  10. I'll be taking the ________________.
  11. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  12. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  13. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  14. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  15. The ________________ went through the wall.
  16. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  17. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  18. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  19. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  20. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  21. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  22. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  23. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  24. This looks like a gunshot ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — on a finger
  2. dip — to sink
  3. bear — the animal
  4. tube — in a tire
  5. bear — to put up with
  6. dip — to dunk
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. wound — an injury
  9. wound — past of 'wind'
  10. tube — the underground
  11. firm — a company
  12. bat — in an idiom
  13. bear — the animal
  14. chip — to eat
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. dip — a sauce
  17. firm — decided
  18. bat — the animal
  19. chip — in a computer
  20. tube — a container
  21. chip — for betting
  22. firm — steady
  23. bat — for baseball
  24. wound — an injury

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