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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. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  2. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  3. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  4. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  5. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  6. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  7. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  8. It's one o'clock ________________.
  9. That was a fun ________________.
  10. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  11. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  12. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  13. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  14. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  15. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  16. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  17. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  18. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  19. I'll be taking the ________________.
  20. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  21. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  22. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  23. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  24. Where did you ________________ them?

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

Answer key

  1. fork — a garden tool
  2. drill — the tool
  3. tube — in a tire
  4. drill — army training
  5. face — to point toward
  6. mug — a cup
  7. face — to confront
  8. sharp — exactly
  9. game — a match
  10. fork — to eat with
  11. fork — in a road
  12. sharp — clever
  13. field — farmland
  14. field — for sport
  15. tube — a container
  16. face — part of the head
  17. mug — a face
  18. field — a subject
  19. tube — the underground
  20. game — wild animals
  21. sharp — with an edge
  22. game — a kind of play
  23. drill — a practice
  24. mug — to rob

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