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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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Word bank
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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. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  2. How do you ________________ your surname?
  3. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  4. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  5. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  6. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  7. This piece is in a major ________________.
  8. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  9. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  10. That must've been a ________________.
  11. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  12. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  13. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  14. I'll be taking the ________________.
  15. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  16. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  17. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  18. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  19. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  20. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  21. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  22. When are we going to ________________?
  23. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  24. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — hurry
  2. spell — letters
  3. fine — all right
  4. chair — a leader
  5. fine — high quality
  6. racket — a loud noise
  7. key — in music
  8. rush — to hurry
  9. spell — magic
  10. rush — a thrill
  11. tube — in a tire
  12. chair — a professorship
  13. tube — a container
  14. tube — the underground
  15. key — the most important part
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. land — ground
  18. chair — to sit on
  19. spell — a short time
  20. key — for a lock
  21. land — a country
  22. land — to come down
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. fine — a penalty

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