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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. The ________________ went through the wall.
  2. I'll be taking the ________________.
  3. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  4. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  5. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  6. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  7. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  8. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  9. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  10. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  11. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  12. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  13. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  14. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  15. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  16. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  17. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  18. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  19. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  20. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  21. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  22. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  23. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  24. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. tube — the underground
  3. hand — part of the body
  4. drill — army training
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. can — to be able to
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. can — a tin
  9. fork — a garden tool
  10. can — a tin
  11. fork — to eat with
  12. fork — in a road
  13. march — the month
  14. march — the month
  15. drill — a practice
  16. march — music
  17. racket — a loud noise
  18. hand — help
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. nail — on a finger
  21. drill — the tool
  22. tube — a container
  23. hand — in cards
  24. tube — in a tire

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