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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. I'll be taking the ________________.
  3. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  4. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  5. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  6. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  7. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  8. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  9. We're on a ________________ here.
  10. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  11. False peace will not ________________.
  12. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  13. This piece is in a major ________________.
  14. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  15. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  16. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  17. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  18. When will it ________________ you to start?
  19. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  20. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  21. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  22. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  23. The water is too ________________.
  24. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — in a tire
  2. tube — the underground
  3. key — the most important part
  4. suit — in cards
  5. cold — an illness
  6. last — final
  7. rule — government
  8. roll — a cake
  9. roll — on a roll
  10. cold — the Cold War
  11. last — to go on
  12. rule — a law
  13. key — in music
  14. roll — a list
  15. key — for a lock
  16. tube — a container
  17. trunk — of an elephant
  18. suit — to fit
  19. trunk — of a tree
  20. trunk — of a car
  21. last — finally
  22. rule — to rule out
  23. cold — not warm
  24. suit — clothes

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