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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. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  2. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  3. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  4. What do you think of the new ________________?
  5. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  6. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  7. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  8. I'll be taking the ________________.
  9. This piece is in a major ________________.
  10. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  11. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  12. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  13. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  14. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  15. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  16. It's one o'clock ________________.
  17. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  18. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  19. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  20. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  21. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  22. The ________________ market has crashed.
  23. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  24. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — in a tire
  2. wound — past of 'wind'
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. wound — an injury
  6. root — the cause
  7. stock — goods
  8. tube — the underground
  9. key — in music
  10. sharp — clever
  11. key — for a lock
  12. stock — a soup base
  13. wound — an injury
  14. cabinet — a cupboard
  15. key — the most important part
  16. sharp — exactly
  17. track — a song
  18. track — a path
  19. tube — a container
  20. root — of a plant
  21. sharp — with an edge
  22. stock — shares
  23. track — to keep track
  24. root — of a word

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