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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. She's very handy with a ________________.
  3. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  4. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  5. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  6. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  7. He works in a ________________ mill.
  8. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  9. The tickets are free of ________________.
  10. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  11. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  12. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  13. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  14. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  15. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  16. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  17. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  18. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  19. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  20. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  21. I'll be taking the ________________.
  22. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  23. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  24. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — a container
  2. saw — the tool
  3. wave — a sudden rise
  4. hand — in cards
  5. charge — electricity
  6. straw — a straw man
  7. saw — the tool
  8. rest — a break
  9. charge — a price
  10. rest — what's left
  11. bear — to put up with
  12. rest — what's left
  13. tube — in a tire
  14. hand — part of the body
  15. charge — in control
  16. straw — to clutch at straws
  17. straw — dry grass
  18. bear — the animal
  19. wave — of the sea
  20. saw — past of 'see'
  21. tube — the underground
  22. hand — help
  23. wave — with your hand
  24. bear — the animal

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