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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. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  2. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  3. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  4. I'll be taking the ________________.
  5. This piece is in a major ________________.
  6. That was a fun ________________.
  7. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  8. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  9. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  10. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  11. False peace will not ________________.
  12. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  13. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  14. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  15. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  16. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  17. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  18. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  19. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  20. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  21. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  24. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?

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

Answer key

  1. game — wild animals
  2. object — a thing
  3. ruler — for measuring
  4. tube — the underground
  5. key — in music
  6. game — a match
  7. last — final
  8. straw — to clutch at straws
  9. tube — in a tire
  10. object — to protest
  11. last — to go on
  12. key — the most important part
  13. straw — a straw man
  14. tube — a container
  15. straw — dry grass
  16. object — an aim
  17. game — a kind of play
  18. pit — a fruit stone
  19. ruler — a monarch
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. pit — a hole
  22. last — finally
  23. pit — in a race
  24. key — for a lock

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