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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. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  2. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  3. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  4. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  5. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  6. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  7. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  8. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  9. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  10. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  11. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  12. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  13. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  14. I can't ________________ this cold.
  15. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  16. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  17. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  18. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  19. He works in a ________________ mill.
  20. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  21. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  22. She's very handy with a ________________.
  23. I'll be taking the ________________.
  24. When was this ________________ built?

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

Answer key

  1. tube — a container
  2. temple — side of the head
  3. current — of water
  4. file — a tool
  5. cue — a signal
  6. file — a line of people
  7. current — electric
  8. stand — for spectators
  9. current — happening now
  10. cue — for pool
  11. file — a document
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. drill — army training
  14. stand — to bear
  15. cue — a hint
  16. tube — in a tire
  17. drill — the tool
  18. saw — past of 'see'
  19. saw — the tool
  20. stand — on your feet
  21. drill — a practice
  22. saw — the tool
  23. tube — the underground
  24. temple — a place of worship

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