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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. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  2. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  3. The ________________ went through the wall.
  4. I'll be taking the ________________.
  5. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  6. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  7. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  8. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  9. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  10. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  11. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  12. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  13. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  14. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  15. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  16. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  17. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  18. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  19. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  20. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  21. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  22. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  23. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  24. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — of water
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. tube — the underground
  5. cue — for pool
  6. content — videos and posts
  7. nail — on a finger
  8. race — humankind
  9. race — the arms race
  10. cue — a signal
  11. toast — bread
  12. cue — a hint
  13. content — the amount
  14. can — to be able to
  15. race — a contest
  16. tube — a container
  17. toast — a drink to someone
  18. spring — the season
  19. tube — in a tire
  20. content — happy
  21. spring — a coil
  22. can — a tin
  23. toast — the most admired
  24. can — a tin

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