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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. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  2. You don't need to ________________ round.
  3. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  4. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  7. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  8. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  9. He was locked up in a ________________.
  10. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  11. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  12. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  13. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  14. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  15. This piece is in a major ________________.
  16. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  17. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  18. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  19. The King held a masked ________________.
  20. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  21. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  22. I'll be taking the ________________.
  23. We're almost out of ________________.
  24. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a skill
  2. pop — to visit
  3. pound — a weight
  4. tube — in a tire
  5. last — to go on
  6. pound — for dogs
  7. key — the most important part
  8. pound — to hit hard
  9. cell — in a prison
  10. key — for a lock
  11. ball — a great time
  12. last — finally
  13. pop — music
  14. tube — a container
  15. key — in music
  16. craft — boats
  17. last — final
  18. craft — a handicraft
  19. ball — a dance
  20. ball — a round shape
  21. cell — in biology
  22. tube — the underground
  23. pop — soda
  24. cell — a phone

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