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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. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  2. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  3. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  4. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  5. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  6. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  7. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  8. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  9. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  10. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  11. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  12. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  13. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  14. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  15. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  16. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  17. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  18. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  19. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  20. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  21. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  22. I'll be taking the ________________.
  23. This piece is in a major ________________.
  24. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a song
  2. wind — to turn a key
  3. rock — a stone
  4. lean — to bend
  5. tube — a container
  6. wind — moving air
  7. lean — thin
  8. key — for a lock
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. hide — animal skin
  11. track — to keep track
  12. lean — to rest against
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. wind — moving air
  15. rock — music
  16. track — a path
  17. tube — in a tire
  18. key — the most important part
  19. rock — to move gently
  20. straw — dry grass
  21. straw — a straw man
  22. tube — the underground
  23. key — in music
  24. straw — to clutch at straws

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