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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. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  3. The water is too ________________.
  4. I'll be taking the ________________.
  5. She's very handy with a ________________.
  6. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  7. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  8. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  9. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  10. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  11. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  12. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  13. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  14. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  15. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  16. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  17. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  18. This piece is in a major ________________.
  19. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  20. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  21. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  22. He works in a ________________ mill.
  23. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  24. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.

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

Answer key

  1. key — for a lock
  2. tube — in a tire
  3. cold — not warm
  4. tube — the underground
  5. saw — the tool
  6. mouse — for a computer
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. key — the most important part
  9. bark — a dog's sound
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. track — to keep track
  12. tube — a container
  13. track — a song
  14. bark — to shout
  15. track — a path
  16. safe — a strongbox
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. key — in music
  19. bark — of a tree
  20. saw — past of 'see'
  21. cold — the Cold War
  22. saw — the tool
  23. safe — out of danger
  24. cold — an illness

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