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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. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  2. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  3. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  4. What do you think of the new ________________?
  5. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  6. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  7. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  8. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  9. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  10. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  11. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  12. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  13. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  14. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  15. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  16. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  17. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  18. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  19. I'll be taking the ________________.
  20. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  21. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  22. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  23. This piece is in a major ________________.
  24. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — a box
  2. tube — in a tire
  3. cap — a hat
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. object — a thing
  6. club — for dancing
  7. bore — to tire
  8. cap — a lid
  9. club — a group
  10. bore — to drill
  11. bore — gave birth
  12. cabinet — a cupboard
  13. chest — of your body
  14. key — for a lock
  15. chest — of your body
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. object — an aim
  18. cap — of ice
  19. tube — the underground
  20. key — the most important part
  21. club — for golf
  22. object — to protest
  23. key — in music
  24. tube — a container

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