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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 want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  2. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  3. The King held a masked ________________.
  4. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  5. I'll be taking the ________________.
  6. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  7. He is an ace ________________.
  8. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  9. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  10. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  11. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  12. This piece is in a major ________________.
  13. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  14. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  15. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  16. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  17. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  18. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  19. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  20. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  21. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  22. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  23. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  24. The kitten curled into a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — a container
  2. branch — a division
  3. ball — a dance
  4. face — to confront
  5. tube — the underground
  6. face — to point toward
  7. pitcher — in baseball
  8. face — part of the head
  9. pass — a permit
  10. branch — of a bank
  11. tube — in a tire
  12. key — in music
  13. key — for a lock
  14. lash — to lash out
  15. pass — to spend time
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. lash — a whip stroke
  18. branch — of a tree
  19. lash — an eyelash
  20. pass — to succeed
  21. ball — a great time
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. key — the most important part
  24. ball — a round shape

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