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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. I'll be taking the ________________.
  2. That must've been a ________________.
  3. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  4. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  5. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  6. The ________________ went through the wall.
  7. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  8. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  9. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  10. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  11. I can't ________________ this cold.
  12. That was a fun ________________.
  13. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  14. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  15. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  16. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  17. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  18. How do you ________________ your surname?
  19. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  20. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  21. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  22. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  23. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  24. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — the underground
  2. rush — a thrill
  3. tube — a container
  4. stand — on your feet
  5. spell — a short time
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. net — after costs
  10. rush — hurry
  11. stand — to bear
  12. game — a match
  13. calf — of the leg
  14. nail — on a finger
  15. game — a kind of play
  16. tube — in a tire
  17. stand — for spectators
  18. spell — letters
  19. net — for catching
  20. spell — magic
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. net — in sport
  23. rush — to hurry
  24. game — wild animals

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