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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 120 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. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  3. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  4. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  5. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  6. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  7. This piece is in a major ________________.
  8. I'll be taking the ________________.
  9. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  10. When are we going to ________________?
  11. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  12. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  13. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  14. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  15. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  16. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  17. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  18. That must've been a ________________.
  19. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  20. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  21. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  22. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  23. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  24. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — in a tire
  2. scale — in music
  3. row — to paddle
  4. scale — for weighing
  5. squash — the sport
  6. row — a quarrel
  7. key — in music
  8. tube — the underground
  9. key — for a lock
  10. land — to come down
  11. land — ground
  12. rush — to hurry
  13. key — the most important part
  14. squash — to crush
  15. tube — a container
  16. lean — to bend
  17. rush — hurry
  18. rush — a thrill
  19. scale — size or range
  20. land — a country
  21. row — a line
  22. lean — thin
  23. squash — the vegetable
  24. lean — to rest against

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