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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 King held a masked ________________.
  2. He works in a ________________ mill.
  3. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  4. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  5. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  6. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  7. She's very handy with a ________________.
  8. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  9. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  10. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  11. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  12. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  13. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  14. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  15. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  16. I'll be taking the ________________.
  17. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  18. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  19. This piece is in a major ________________.
  20. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  21. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  22. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  23. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  24. My father caught me by the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a dance
  2. saw — the tool
  3. ball — a round shape
  4. key — for a lock
  5. march — the month
  6. key — the most important part
  7. saw — the tool
  8. march — music
  9. tube — in a tire
  10. trunk — of a car
  11. saw — past of 'see'
  12. arm — a part of something
  13. fork — to eat with
  14. march — the month
  15. fork — in a road
  16. tube — the underground
  17. fork — a garden tool
  18. ball — a great time
  19. key — in music
  20. tube — a container
  21. trunk — of an elephant
  22. trunk — of a tree
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. arm — part of the body

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