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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 116 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. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  2. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  3. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  4. I'll be taking the ________________.
  5. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  6. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  7. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  8. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  9. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  10. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  11. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  12. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  13. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  14. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  15. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  16. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  17. He is an ace ________________.
  18. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  19. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  20. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  21. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  22. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  23. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  24. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — in an idiom
  2. bat — the animal
  3. club — for golf
  4. tube — the underground
  5. bat — for baseball
  6. drill — a practice
  7. club — a group
  8. tube — a container
  9. mine — belonging to me
  10. root — the cause
  11. mine — for digging
  12. tube — in a tire
  13. root — of a word
  14. fork — in a road
  15. drill — army training
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. pitcher — in baseball
  18. fork — a garden tool
  19. mine — an explosive
  20. club — for dancing
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. root — of a plant
  23. fork — to eat with
  24. drill — the tool

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