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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 120 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. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  2. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. That must've been a ________________.
  4. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  5. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  6. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  7. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  8. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  9. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  10. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  11. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  12. I'll be taking the ________________.
  13. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  14. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  15. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  16. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  17. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  18. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  19. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  20. The ________________ went through the wall.
  21. That was a fun ________________.
  22. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  23. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  24. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — to hurry
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. rush — a thrill
  4. cap — a lid
  5. wax — in the ear
  6. fork — in a road
  7. present — there
  8. cap — a hat
  9. nail — on a finger
  10. fork — a garden tool
  11. fork — to eat with
  12. tube — the underground
  13. wax — for sculpting
  14. rush — hurry
  15. wax — to grow
  16. game — wild animals
  17. tube — a container
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. present — the time now
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. game — a match
  22. cap — of ice
  23. present — a gift
  24. tube — in a tire

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