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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. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  2. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  3. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  4. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  5. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  6. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  7. Don't do anything ________________.
  8. I'll be taking the ________________.
  9. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  10. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  11. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  12. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  13. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  14. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  15. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  16. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  17. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  18. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  19. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  20. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  21. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  22. False peace will not ________________.
  23. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  24. I don't want to ________________ the boat.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — a practice
  2. tube — in a tire
  3. last — finally
  4. bowl — a dish
  5. bowl — a football final
  6. spring — of water
  7. rash — hasty
  8. tube — the underground
  9. last — final
  10. face — to confront
  11. rash — on the skin
  12. face — to point toward
  13. drill — army training
  14. spring — the season
  15. face — part of the head
  16. drill — the tool
  17. tube — a container
  18. rock — music
  19. spring — a coil
  20. rock — a stone
  21. bowl — to roll
  22. last — to go on
  23. rash — a series
  24. rock — to move gently

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