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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. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  2. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  3. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  4. This piece is in a major ________________.
  5. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  6. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  7. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  8. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  9. He is an ace ________________.
  10. I'll be taking the ________________.
  11. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  12. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  13. He works in a ________________ mill.
  14. I've got to change the light ________________.
  15. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  16. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  17. She's very handy with a ________________.
  18. The light ________________ burned out.
  19. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  20. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  21. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  22. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  23. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  24. The ball is in your ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — in a tire
  2. squash — to crush
  3. capital — money
  4. key — in music
  5. tube — a container
  6. key — for a lock
  7. capital — a big letter
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. pitcher — in baseball
  10. tube — the underground
  11. saw — past of 'see'
  12. capital — a city
  13. saw — the tool
  14. bulb — for light
  15. court — of a king
  16. court — of law
  17. saw — the tool
  18. bulb — for light
  19. squash — the sport
  20. bulb — of a plant
  21. key — the most important part
  22. squash — the vegetable
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. court — for sport

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