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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 need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  2. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  3. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  4. It's one o'clock ________________.
  5. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  6. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  7. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  8. I'll be taking the ________________.
  9. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  10. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  11. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  12. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  13. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  14. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  15. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  16. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  17. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  18. Don't do anything ________________.
  19. My father caught me by the ________________.
  20. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  21. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  22. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  23. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  24. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — the tool
  2. tube — in a tire
  3. fine — all right
  4. sharp — exactly
  5. drill — army training
  6. drill — a practice
  7. bat — for baseball
  8. tube — the underground
  9. bat — in an idiom
  10. sharp — clever
  11. fine — a penalty
  12. rash — on the skin
  13. arm — a part of something
  14. board — to get on
  15. board — a flat piece
  16. fine — high quality
  17. rash — a series
  18. rash — hasty
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. board — a committee
  21. tube — a container
  22. sharp — with an edge
  23. bat — the animal
  24. arm — part of the body

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