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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. Have you met the new head ________________?
  2. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  3. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  4. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  5. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  6. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  7. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  8. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  9. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  10. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  11. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  12. The ball is in your ________________.
  13. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  14. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  15. This piece is in a major ________________.
  16. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  17. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  18. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  19. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  20. I'll be taking the ________________.
  21. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  22. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  23. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  24. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. file — a tool
  3. tube — in a tire
  4. can — a tin
  5. foot — the bottom
  6. kid — child
  7. foot — a measure
  8. key — the most important part
  9. file — a document
  10. can — a tin
  11. file — a line of people
  12. court — for sport
  13. court — of law
  14. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  15. key — in music
  16. key — for a lock
  17. can — to be able to
  18. tube — a container
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. tube — the underground
  21. court — of a king
  22. coach — pulled by horses
  23. foot — part of the body
  24. kid — to tease

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