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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. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  2. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  3. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  4. My mare is ________________ in color.
  5. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  6. This piece is in a major ________________.
  7. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  8. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  9. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  10. I can't ________________ this cold.
  11. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  12. We're on a ________________ here.
  13. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  14. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  15. I'll be taking the ________________.
  16. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  17. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  18. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  19. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  20. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  21. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  22. Don't do anything ________________.
  23. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  24. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?

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

Answer key

  1. key — the most important part
  2. tube — a container
  3. tube — in a tire
  4. bay — a horse colour
  5. wound — an injury
  6. key — in music
  7. wound — past of 'wind'
  8. stand — for spectators
  9. fall — to drop
  10. stand — to bear
  11. fall — to drop
  12. roll — on a roll
  13. rash — on the skin
  14. fall — the season
  15. tube — the underground
  16. wound — an injury
  17. stand — on your feet
  18. bay — to keep at bay
  19. bay — a part of the sea
  20. roll — a cake
  21. rash — a series
  22. rash — hasty
  23. roll — a list
  24. key — for a lock

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