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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. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  2. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  3. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  4. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  5. My father caught me by the ________________.
  6. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  7. I can't ________________ this cold.
  8. The water is too ________________.
  9. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  10. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  11. This piece is in a major ________________.
  12. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  13. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  14. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  15. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  16. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  17. I'll be taking the ________________.
  18. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  19. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  20. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  21. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  22. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  23. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  24. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.

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

Answer key

  1. key — for a lock
  2. tube — a container
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. cold — an illness
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. tube — in a tire
  7. stand — to bear
  8. cold — not warm
  9. rest — what's left
  10. stand — on your feet
  11. key — in music
  12. key — the most important part
  13. stand — for spectators
  14. rest — a break
  15. scale — size or range
  16. scale — for weighing
  17. tube — the underground
  18. rock — a stone
  19. scale — in music
  20. rest — what's left
  21. arm — a part of something
  22. rock — music
  23. rock — to move gently
  24. cold — the Cold War

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