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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. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  2. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  3. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  4. We're on a ________________ here.
  5. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  6. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  7. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  8. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  9. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  10. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  11. I'll be taking the ________________.
  12. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  13. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  14. This piece is in a major ________________.
  15. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  16. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  17. That must've been a ________________.
  18. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  19. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  20. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  21. It's one o'clock ________________.
  22. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  23. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  24. He was blown up by a land ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. key — for a lock
  2. tube — in a tire
  3. key — the most important part
  4. roll — on a roll
  5. rush — hurry
  6. roll — a cake
  7. mine — for digging
  8. tube — a container
  9. sharp — clever
  10. club — for dancing
  11. tube — the underground
  12. club — a group
  13. sharp — with an edge
  14. key — in music
  15. rush — to hurry
  16. club — for golf
  17. rush — a thrill
  18. bear — the animal
  19. mine — belonging to me
  20. bear — the animal
  21. sharp — exactly
  22. roll — a list
  23. bear — to put up with
  24. mine — an explosive

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