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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. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  2. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  3. I'll be taking the ________________.
  4. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  5. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  6. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  7. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  8. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  9. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  10. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  11. This piece is in a major ________________.
  12. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  13. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  14. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  15. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  16. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  17. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  18. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  19. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  20. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  21. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  22. My mare is ________________ in color.
  23. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  24. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — to tease
  2. tube — in a tire
  3. tube — the underground
  4. capital — a big letter
  5. lean — thin
  6. bay — a part of the sea
  7. deal — an agreement
  8. bay — to keep at bay
  9. deal — a big deal
  10. capital — a city
  11. key — in music
  12. lean — to bend
  13. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  14. root — of a word
  15. root — the cause
  16. key — the most important part
  17. capital — money
  18. deal — to handle
  19. lean — to rest against
  20. key — for a lock
  21. tube — a container
  22. bay — a horse colour
  23. kid — child
  24. root — of a plant

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