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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. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  2. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  3. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  4. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  5. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  6. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  7. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  8. I'll be taking the ________________.
  9. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  10. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  11. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  12. False peace will not ________________.
  13. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  14. My father caught me by the ________________.
  15. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  16. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  17. That must've been a ________________.
  18. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  19. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  20. The ________________ went through the wall.
  21. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  22. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  23. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  24. That was ________________ to happen.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — a loud noise
  2. tube — in a tire
  3. wind — moving air
  4. wind — moving air
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. bound — tied together
  7. rush — to hurry
  8. tube — the underground
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. tube — a container
  11. wind — to turn a key
  12. last — to go on
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. last — final
  16. arm — a part of something
  17. rush — a thrill
  18. rush — hurry
  19. last — finally
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. nail — on a finger
  22. bound — obliged
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. bound — certain

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