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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. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  2. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  3. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  4. That was ________________ to happen.
  5. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  6. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  7. False peace will not ________________.
  8. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  9. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  10. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  11. I'll be taking the ________________.
  12. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  13. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  14. Have you settled on a ________________?
  15. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  16. This piece is in a major ________________.
  17. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  18. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  19. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  20. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  21. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  22. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  23. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  24. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. key — the most important part
  2. last — final
  3. tube — a container
  4. bound — certain
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. bowl — a football final
  7. last — to go on
  8. rest — what's left
  9. bowl — to roll
  10. pitch — a sports field
  11. tube — the underground
  12. bound — obliged
  13. rest — what's left
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. bound — tied together
  16. key — in music
  17. date — the fruit
  18. last — finally
  19. tube — in a tire
  20. key — for a lock
  21. pitch — a sales talk
  22. rest — a break
  23. pitch — completely
  24. bowl — a dish

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