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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. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  3. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  4. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  5. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  6. I'll be taking the ________________.
  7. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  8. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  9. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  10. That was a fun ________________.
  11. Don't do anything ________________.
  12. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  13. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  14. The ________________ went through the wall.
  15. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  16. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  17. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  18. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  19. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  20. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  21. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  22. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  23. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  24. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. club — for dancing
  3. tube — in a tire
  4. game — a kind of play
  5. deal — a big deal
  6. tube — the underground
  7. rash — on the skin
  8. tube — a container
  9. shower — a meteor shower
  10. game — a match
  11. rash — hasty
  12. club — a group
  13. shower — rain
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. nail — on a finger
  16. jam — to spread on bread
  17. rash — a series
  18. shower — to wash
  19. deal — an agreement
  20. jam — a tight spot
  21. club — for golf
  22. game — wild animals
  23. jam — in traffic
  24. deal — to handle

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