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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 116 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. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  3. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  4. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  5. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  6. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  7. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  8. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  9. I'll be taking the ________________.
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. There's no middle ________________.
  12. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  13. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  14. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  15. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  16. He is an ace ________________.
  17. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  18. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  19. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  20. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  21. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  22. What do you think of the new ________________?
  23. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  24. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — a container
  2. bat — in an idiom
  3. file — a document
  4. spring — the season
  5. staff — employees
  6. file — a line of people
  7. staff — employees
  8. spring — of water
  9. tube — the underground
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. ground — a position
  12. bat — the animal
  13. ground — the earth
  14. bat — for baseball
  15. ground — crushed
  16. pitcher — in baseball
  17. file — a tool
  18. tube — in a tire
  19. staff — a stick
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. cabinet — a cupboard
  24. spring — a coil

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