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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. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  2. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  3. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  4. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  5. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  6. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  7. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  8. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  9. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  10. I'll be taking the ________________.
  11. This piece is in a major ________________.
  12. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  13. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  14. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  15. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  16. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  17. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  18. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  19. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  20. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  21. When are we going to ________________?
  22. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  23. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  24. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. tube — a container
  3. toast — bread
  4. key — for a lock
  5. fork — to eat with
  6. staff — employees
  7. land — a country
  8. staff — a stick
  9. fork — in a road
  10. tube — the underground
  11. key — in music
  12. tube — in a tire
  13. mine — for digging
  14. toast — the most admired
  15. mine — belonging to me
  16. fork — a garden tool
  17. land — ground
  18. key — the most important part
  19. staff — employees
  20. stick — to attach or keep to
  21. land — to come down
  22. mine — an explosive
  23. toast — a drink to someone
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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