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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. We're on a ________________ here.
  2. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  3. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  4. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  5. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  6. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  7. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  8. He was locked up in a ________________.
  9. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  10. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  11. I'll be taking the ________________.
  12. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  13. The light ________________ burned out.
  14. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  15. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  16. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  17. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  18. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  19. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  20. I've got to change the light ________________.
  21. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  22. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  23. The ________________ went through the wall.
  24. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — on a roll
  2. tube — in a tire
  3. fork — to eat with
  4. fork — in a road
  5. pass — to succeed
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. tube — a container
  8. cell — in a prison
  9. capital — a big letter
  10. nail — on a finger
  11. tube — the underground
  12. cell — a phone
  13. bulb — for light
  14. capital — a city
  15. cell — in biology
  16. pass — a permit
  17. fork — a garden tool
  18. roll — a cake
  19. bulb — of a plant
  20. bulb — for light
  21. pass — to spend time
  22. roll — a list
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. capital — money

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