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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. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  2. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  3. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  4. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  5. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  6. How do you ________________ your surname?
  7. That must've been a ________________.
  8. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  9. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  10. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  11. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  12. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  13. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  14. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  15. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  16. I'll be taking the ________________.
  17. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  18. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  19. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  20. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  21. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  22. This piece is in a major ________________.
  23. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  24. Take your time. There's no ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a hole
  2. key — the most important part
  3. pit — a fruit stone
  4. wound — an injury
  5. tube — a container
  6. spell — letters
  7. rush — a thrill
  8. wound — past of 'wind'
  9. pit — in a race
  10. rest — what's left
  11. rest — a break
  12. tube — in a tire
  13. spell — a short time
  14. spell — magic
  15. content — videos and posts
  16. tube — the underground
  17. rush — to hurry
  18. content — the amount
  19. rest — what's left
  20. wound — an injury
  21. content — happy
  22. key — in music
  23. key — for a lock
  24. rush — hurry

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