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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'll be taking the ________________.
  3. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  4. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  5. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  6. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  7. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  8. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  9. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  10. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  11. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  12. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  13. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  14. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  15. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  16. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  17. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  18. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  19. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  20. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  21. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  22. Have you met the new head ________________?
  23. This piece is in a major ________________.
  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 — the underground
  3. clip — a video
  4. club — for golf
  5. safe — out of danger
  6. tube — in a tire
  7. bat — the animal
  8. safe — out of danger
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. key — the most important part
  11. bat — for baseball
  12. stick — to attach or keep to
  13. bat — in an idiom
  14. key — for a lock
  15. tube — a container
  16. club — a group
  17. club — for dancing
  18. coach — pulled by horses
  19. safe — a strongbox
  20. clip — for paper
  21. clip — to cut
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. key — in music
  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