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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. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  2. She's very handy with a ________________.
  3. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  4. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  5. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  6. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  7. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  8. When are we going to ________________?
  9. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  10. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  11. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  12. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  13. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  14. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  15. He works in a ________________ mill.
  16. It's one o'clock ________________.
  17. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  18. I'll be taking the ________________.
  19. This piece is in a major ________________.
  20. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  21. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  22. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  23. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  24. Hard work is the ________________ to success.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — an eyelash
  2. saw — the tool
  3. tube — in a tire
  4. straw — a straw man
  5. lash — to lash out
  6. tube — a container
  7. lash — a whip stroke
  8. land — to come down
  9. land — ground
  10. sharp — with an edge
  11. land — a country
  12. key — for a lock
  13. straw — to clutch at straws
  14. straw — dry grass
  15. saw — the tool
  16. sharp — exactly
  17. bear — to put up with
  18. tube — the underground
  19. key — in music
  20. bear — the animal
  21. sharp — clever
  22. bear — the animal
  23. saw — past of 'see'
  24. key — the most important part

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