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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 old man leaned on his ________________.
  2. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  3. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  4. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  5. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  6. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  7. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  8. I'll be taking the ________________.
  9. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  10. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  11. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  12. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  13. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  14. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  15. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  16. This piece is in a major ________________.
  17. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  18. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  19. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  20. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  21. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  22. What do you think of the new ________________?
  23. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  24. When was this ________________ built?

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

Answer key

  1. staff — a stick
  2. tube — in a tire
  3. staff — employees
  4. fine — a penalty
  5. cabinet — a cupboard
  6. key — for a lock
  7. fine — all right
  8. tube — the underground
  9. net — in sport
  10. key — the most important part
  11. temple — side of the head
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. tube — a container
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. net — for catching
  16. key — in music
  17. pass — a permit
  18. staff — employees
  19. net — after costs
  20. pass — to spend time
  21. fine — high quality
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. pass — to succeed
  24. temple — a place of worship

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