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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 got dealt a bad ________________.
  2. The King held a masked ________________.
  3. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  4. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  5. This piece is in a major ________________.
  6. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  7. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  8. I'll be taking the ________________.
  9. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  10. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  11. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  12. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  15. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  16. My mare is ________________ in color.
  17. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  18. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  19. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  20. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  21. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  22. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  23. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  24. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — in cards
  2. ball — a dance
  3. tube — a container
  4. dip — a sauce
  5. key — in music
  6. shower — to wash
  7. ball — a round shape
  8. tube — the underground
  9. key — the most important part
  10. key — for a lock
  11. tube — in a tire
  12. staff — employees
  13. hand — help
  14. hand — part of the body
  15. dip — to dunk
  16. bay — a horse colour
  17. staff — employees
  18. dip — to sink
  19. shower — a meteor shower
  20. staff — a stick
  21. ball — a great time
  22. shower — rain
  23. bay — a part of the sea
  24. bay — to keep at bay

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