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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 goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  2. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  3. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  4. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  5. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  6. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  7. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  8. The ________________ went through the wall.
  9. I'll be taking the ________________.
  10. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  11. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  12. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  13. This piece is in a major ________________.
  14. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  15. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  16. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  17. How do you ________________ your surname?
  18. It's one o'clock ________________.
  19. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  20. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  21. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  22. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  23. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  24. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — dry grass
  2. nail — on a finger
  3. sharp — clever
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. tube — in a tire
  6. key — for a lock
  7. straw — a straw man
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. tube — the underground
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. straw — to clutch at straws
  12. racket — a loud noise
  13. key — in music
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. key — the most important part
  16. tube — a container
  17. spell — letters
  18. sharp — exactly
  19. sharp — with an edge
  20. spell — a short time
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. spell — magic
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. stick — to attach or keep to

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