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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 116 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. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  3. That was a fun ________________.
  4. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  5. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  6. I'll be taking the ________________.
  7. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  8. This piece is in a major ________________.
  9. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  10. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  11. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  12. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  13. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  14. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  15. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  16. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  17. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  18. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  19. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  20. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  21. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  22. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  23. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  24. She got the top ________________ in the exam.

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

Answer key

  1. game — wild animals
  2. squash — the sport
  3. game — a match
  4. rest — a break
  5. tube — in a tire
  6. tube — the underground
  7. rest — what's left
  8. key — in music
  9. file — a line of people
  10. safe — a strongbox
  11. mark — a trace
  12. squash — to crush
  13. tube — a container
  14. file — a document
  15. rest — what's left
  16. key — the most important part
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. key — for a lock
  19. squash — the vegetable
  20. mark — to pay attention
  21. file — a tool
  22. safe — out of danger
  23. game — a kind of play
  24. mark — a grade

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