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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 got the top ________________ in the exam.
  2. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  3. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  4. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  5. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  6. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  7. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  8. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  9. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  10. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  11. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  12. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  13. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  14. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  15. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  16. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  17. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  18. The ________________ went through the wall.
  19. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  20. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  21. I'll be taking the ________________.
  22. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  23. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  24. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a grade
  2. face — part of the head
  3. tube — in a tire
  4. scale — size or range
  5. file — a tool
  6. straw — a straw man
  7. pitch — a sports field
  8. nail — on a finger
  9. face — to confront
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. file — a line of people
  12. mark — to pay attention
  13. straw — dry grass
  14. face — to point toward
  15. pitch — completely
  16. scale — in music
  17. pitch — a sales talk
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. tube — a container
  20. straw — to clutch at straws
  21. tube — the underground
  22. file — a document
  23. scale — for weighing
  24. mark — a trace

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