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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. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  2. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  3. This piece is in a major ________________.
  4. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  5. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  6. I'll be taking the ________________.
  7. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  8. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  9. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  10. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  11. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  12. What do you think of the new ________________?
  13. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  14. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  15. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  16. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  17. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  18. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  19. David sat on the ________________.
  20. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  21. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  22. False peace will not ________________.
  23. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  24. The tickets are free of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — to tease
  2. cabinet — a cupboard
  3. key — in music
  4. key — the most important part
  5. kid — child
  6. tube — the underground
  7. swing — in golf
  8. charge — electricity
  9. tube — a container
  10. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. wound — an injury
  14. swing — music
  15. wound — past of 'wind'
  16. last — finally
  17. last — final
  18. tube — in a tire
  19. swing — to play on
  20. key — for a lock
  21. charge — in control
  22. last — to go on
  23. wound — an injury
  24. charge — a price

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