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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 120 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. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  3. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  4. When was this ________________ built?
  5. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  6. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  7. This piece is in a major ________________.
  8. He was locked up in a ________________.
  9. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  10. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  11. I'll be taking the ________________.
  12. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  13. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  14. My mare is ________________ in color.
  15. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  16. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  17. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  18. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  19. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  20. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  21. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  22. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  23. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  24. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.

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

Answer key

  1. key — for a lock
  2. bay — to keep at bay
  3. key — the most important part
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. chest — of your body
  6. chest — of your body
  7. key — in music
  8. cell — in a prison
  9. cell — in biology
  10. trunk — of a car
  11. tube — the underground
  12. cell — a phone
  13. tube — a container
  14. bay — a horse colour
  15. chip — in a computer
  16. temple — side of the head
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. bay — a part of the sea
  19. chest — a box
  20. trunk — of a tree
  21. chip — for betting
  22. trunk — of an elephant
  23. tube — in a tire
  24. chip — to eat

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