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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. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  2. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  4. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  5. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  6. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  7. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  8. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  9. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  10. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  11. What do you think of the new ________________?
  12. I'll be taking the ________________.
  13. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  14. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  15. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  16. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  17. That must've been a ________________.
  18. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  19. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  20. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  21. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  22. The ________________ went through the wall.
  23. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  24. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. chest — a box
  4. rush — to hurry
  5. nail — on a finger
  6. tube — in a tire
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. season — in sport
  9. tube — a container
  10. drill — a practice
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. tube — the underground
  13. drill — the tool
  14. season — of the year
  15. rest — a break
  16. rest — what's left
  17. rush — a thrill
  18. drill — army training
  19. chest — of your body
  20. cabinet — a cupboard
  21. rush — hurry
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. chest — of your body
  24. rest — what's left

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