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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. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  3. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  4. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  5. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  6. I'll be taking the ________________.
  7. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  8. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  9. This piece is in a major ________________.
  10. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  11. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  12. When will it ________________ you to start?
  13. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  14. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  15. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  16. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  17. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  18. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  19. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  20. Have you settled on a ________________?
  21. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  22. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  23. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  24. Hard work is the ________________ to success.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — a container
  2. tear — from crying
  3. tube — in a tire
  4. dip — to dunk
  5. key — for a lock
  6. tube — the underground
  7. tear — to rip
  8. dip — a sauce
  9. key — in music
  10. date — the fruit
  11. dip — to sink
  12. suit — to fit
  13. suit — clothes
  14. drill — army training
  15. drill — a practice
  16. hand — help
  17. drill — the tool
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. tear — from crying
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. hand — in cards
  22. suit — in cards
  23. hand — part of the body
  24. key — the most important part

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