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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. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  2. Don't do anything ________________.
  3. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  4. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  5. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. I'll be taking the ________________.
  8. She's very handy with a ________________.
  9. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  10. He works in a ________________ mill.
  11. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  12. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  13. I can't ________________ this cold.
  14. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  15. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  16. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  17. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  18. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  19. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  20. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  21. The ________________ went through the wall.
  22. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  23. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  24. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — a container
  2. rash — hasty
  3. hand — in cards
  4. cue — a signal
  5. cue — a hint
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. tube — the underground
  8. saw — the tool
  9. pound — for dogs
  10. saw — the tool
  11. tube — in a tire
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. stand — to bear
  14. cue — for pool
  15. saw — past of 'see'
  16. stand — for spectators
  17. nail — on a finger
  18. rash — on the skin
  19. pound — to hit hard
  20. rash — a series
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. hand — help
  23. pound — a weight
  24. stand — on your feet

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