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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. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  2. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  3. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  4. I'll be taking the ________________.
  5. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  6. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  7. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  8. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  9. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  10. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  11. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  12. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  13. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  14. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  15. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  16. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  17. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  18. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  19. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  20. There's no middle ________________.
  21. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  22. The ________________ went through the wall.
  23. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  24. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — on a finger
  2. bowl — to roll
  3. spring — the season
  4. tube — the underground
  5. chair — a leader
  6. tube — in a tire
  7. bowl — a dish
  8. spring — a coil
  9. ground — crushed
  10. chair — a professorship
  11. can — to be able to
  12. fork — to eat with
  13. tube — a container
  14. fork — a garden tool
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. can — a tin
  17. bowl — a football final
  18. can — a tin
  19. fork — in a road
  20. ground — a position
  21. ground — the earth
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. chair — to sit on
  24. spring — of water

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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