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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. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  2. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  3. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  4. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  5. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  6. I'll be taking the ________________.
  7. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  8. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  9. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  10. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  11. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  12. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  13. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  14. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  15. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  16. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  17. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  18. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  19. Have you settled on a ________________?
  20. This piece is in a major ________________.
  21. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  22. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  23. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  24. I assure you, everything's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. key — for a lock
  2. file — a document
  3. file — a line of people
  4. straw — to clutch at straws
  5. capital — a big letter
  6. tube — the underground
  7. date — the fruit
  8. capital — money
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. file — a tool
  11. fine — high quality
  12. straw — a straw man
  13. fall — the season
  14. straw — dry grass
  15. fall — to drop
  16. capital — a city
  17. tube — a container
  18. fall — to drop
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. key — in music
  21. tube — in a tire
  22. fine — a penalty
  23. key — the most important part
  24. fine — all right

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