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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 need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  2. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  3. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  4. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  5. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  6. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  7. Have you met the new head ________________?
  8. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  9. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  10. I'll be taking the ________________.
  11. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  12. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  13. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  14. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  15. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  16. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  17. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  18. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  19. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  20. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  21. The ________________ went through the wall.
  22. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  23. It's one o'clock ________________.
  24. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — in a tire
  2. sharp — clever
  3. coach — pulled by horses
  4. fork — a garden tool
  5. snap — to snap out of it
  6. shower — rain
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. snap — to speak sharply
  9. net — after costs
  10. tube — the underground
  11. shower — a meteor shower
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. net — for catching
  14. nail — on a finger
  15. net — in sport
  16. tube — a container
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. fork — in a road
  19. fork — to eat with
  20. shower — to wash
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. sharp — with an edge
  23. sharp — exactly
  24. snap — to click

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