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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. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  2. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  3. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  4. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  5. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  6. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  7. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  8. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  9. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  10. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  11. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  12. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  13. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  14. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  15. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  16. I'll be taking the ________________.
  17. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  18. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  19. That was a fun ________________.
  20. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  21. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  22. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  23. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  24. The ________________ went through the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — a box
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. dip — to dunk
  4. wake — a trail
  5. tube — a container
  6. chest — of your body
  7. board — a committee
  8. straw — dry grass
  9. dip — a sauce
  10. straw — a straw man
  11. dip — to sink
  12. wake — before a funeral
  13. board — a flat piece
  14. board — to get on
  15. game — a kind of play
  16. tube — the underground
  17. game — wild animals
  18. chest — of your body
  19. game — a match
  20. nail — on a finger
  21. wake — to stop sleeping
  22. straw — to clutch at straws
  23. tube — in a tire
  24. nail — for a hammer

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