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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 120 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 want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  2. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  5. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  6. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  7. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  8. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  9. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  10. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. I'll be taking the ________________.
  13. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  14. False peace will not ________________.
  15. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  16. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  17. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  18. This piece is in a major ________________.
  19. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  20. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  21. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  22. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  23. My mare is ________________ in color.
  24. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — a container
  2. bay — a part of the sea
  3. hand — help
  4. lean — to bend
  5. lean — thin
  6. chip — for betting
  7. chip — in a computer
  8. last — final
  9. lean — to rest against
  10. last — finally
  11. hand — in cards
  12. tube — the underground
  13. hand — part of the body
  14. last — to go on
  15. tube — in a tire
  16. kick — with a leg
  17. key — the most important part
  18. key — in music
  19. chip — to eat
  20. bay — to keep at bay
  21. kick — in football
  22. key — for a lock
  23. bay — a horse colour
  24. kick — a thrill

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