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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. We're almost out of ________________.
  2. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  3. This piece is in a major ________________.
  4. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  5. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  6. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  7. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  8. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  9. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  10. You don't need to ________________ round.
  11. I'll be taking the ________________.
  12. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  13. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  14. Have you settled on a ________________?
  15. That was a fun ________________.
  16. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  17. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  18. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  19. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  20. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  21. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  22. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  23. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  24. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — soda
  2. lean — to rest against
  3. key — in music
  4. track — to keep track
  5. tube — a container
  6. pop — music
  7. date — the fruit
  8. key — for a lock
  9. game — a kind of play
  10. pop — to visit
  11. tube — the underground
  12. track — a path
  13. drill — army training
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. game — a match
  16. track — a song
  17. tube — in a tire
  18. lean — to bend
  19. game — wild animals
  20. lean — thin
  21. key — the most important part
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. drill — a practice
  24. drill — the tool

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