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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 valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  3. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  4. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  5. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  6. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  7. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  8. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  9. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  10. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  11. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  12. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  13. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  14. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  15. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  16. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  17. Don't do anything ________________.
  18. False peace will not ________________.
  19. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  20. I'll be taking the ________________.
  21. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  22. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  23. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  24. I assure you, everything's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — a container
  2. object — a thing
  3. last — finally
  4. rash — on the skin
  5. fine — a penalty
  6. rash — a series
  7. drill — army training
  8. tube — in a tire
  9. dip — a sauce
  10. mark — a grade
  11. last — final
  12. object — to protest
  13. dip — to sink
  14. dip — to dunk
  15. drill — a practice
  16. drill — the tool
  17. rash — hasty
  18. last — to go on
  19. mark — to pay attention
  20. tube — the underground
  21. object — an aim
  22. mark — a trace
  23. fine — high quality
  24. fine — all right

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