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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. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  2. It's one o'clock ________________.
  3. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  4. This piece is in a major ________________.
  5. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  6. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  7. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  8. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  9. What do you think of the new ________________?
  10. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  11. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  12. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  13. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  14. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  15. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  16. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  17. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  18. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  19. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  20. I'll be taking the ________________.
  21. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  22. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  23. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  24. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — in a tire
  2. sharp — exactly
  3. key — the most important part
  4. key — in music
  5. march — the month
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. sharp — with an edge
  8. lean — to rest against
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. tube — a container
  11. present — a gift
  12. bass — low music
  13. bass — the instrument
  14. present — there
  15. march — the month
  16. key — for a lock
  17. cabinet — a cupboard
  18. lean — thin
  19. march — music
  20. tube — the underground
  21. bass — the fish
  22. lean — to bend
  23. sharp — clever
  24. present — the time now

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