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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. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  2. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  3. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  4. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  5. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  6. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  7. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  8. That was a fun ________________.
  9. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  10. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  11. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  12. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  13. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  14. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  15. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  16. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  17. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  18. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  19. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  20. The ________________ took off on time.
  21. I'll be taking the ________________.
  22. This piece is in a major ________________.
  23. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  24. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — to cool the air
  2. key — the most important part
  3. lash — an eyelash
  4. track — a path
  5. tube — in a tire
  6. track — to keep track
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. game — a match
  9. tube — a container
  10. plane — a tool
  11. tear — from crying
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. plane — in geometry
  14. lash — to lash out
  15. game — wild animals
  16. tear — to rip
  17. game — a kind of play
  18. key — for a lock
  19. track — a song
  20. plane — an aircraft
  21. tube — the underground
  22. key — in music
  23. tear — from crying
  24. lash — a whip stroke

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