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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. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  2. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  3. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  4. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  5. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  6. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  7. The ________________ went through the wall.
  8. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  9. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  10. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  11. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  12. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  13. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  14. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  15. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  16. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  17. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  20. I'll be taking the ________________.
  21. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  22. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  23. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  24. Recycle the empty soda ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — a straw man
  2. straw — dry grass
  3. can — a tin
  4. mark — to pay attention
  5. mark — a trace
  6. clip — to cut
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. straw — to clutch at straws
  10. can — to be able to
  11. tube — in a tire
  12. trunk — of a tree
  13. game — a kind of play
  14. trunk — of an elephant
  15. nail — on a finger
  16. trunk — of a car
  17. game — wild animals
  18. game — a match
  19. clip — a video
  20. tube — the underground
  21. tube — a container
  22. mark — a grade
  23. clip — for paper
  24. can — a tin

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