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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. It's one o'clock ________________.
  2. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  3. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  4. I'll be taking the ________________.
  5. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  6. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  7. This piece is in a major ________________.
  8. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  9. Don't do anything ________________.
  10. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  11. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  12. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  13. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  14. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  15. There's no middle ________________.
  16. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  17. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  18. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  19. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  20. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  21. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  22. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  23. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  24. He was locked up in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — exactly
  2. tube — in a tire
  3. cell — in biology
  4. tube — the underground
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. key — the most important part
  7. key — in music
  8. rash — on the skin
  9. rash — hasty
  10. ground — crushed
  11. tube — a container
  12. rash — a series
  13. cell — a phone
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. ground — a position
  16. pit — a hole
  17. stick — to attach or keep to
  18. ground — the earth
  19. pit — in a race
  20. sharp — with an edge
  21. sharp — clever
  22. key — for a lock
  23. pit — a fruit stone
  24. cell — in a prison

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