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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 120 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. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  3. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  4. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  7. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  8. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  9. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  10. The ________________ went through the wall.
  11. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  12. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  13. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  14. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  15. Have you found your soul ________________?
  16. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  17. He works in a ________________ mill.
  18. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  19. She's very handy with a ________________.
  20. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  21. I'll be taking the ________________.
  22. How do you ________________ your surname?
  23. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  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. mate — to breed
  3. spell — a short time
  4. field — farmland
  5. field — for sport
  6. mate — a friend
  7. tube — a container
  8. pit — a fruit stone
  9. spell — magic
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. present — a gift
  12. pit — in a race
  13. present — there
  14. saw — past of 'see'
  15. mate — a partner
  16. nail — on a finger
  17. saw — the tool
  18. present — the time now
  19. saw — the tool
  20. field — a subject
  21. tube — the underground
  22. spell — letters
  23. pit — a hole
  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