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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 want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  2. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  3. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  4. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  5. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  6. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  7. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  8. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  9. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  10. I'll be taking the ________________.
  11. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  12. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  13. This piece is in a major ________________.
  14. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  15. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  16. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  17. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  18. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  19. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  20. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  21. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  22. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  23. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  24. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?

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

Answer key

  1. tube — a container
  2. cue — a hint
  3. key — for a lock
  4. clip — a video
  5. cue — a signal
  6. tear — from crying
  7. march — music
  8. object — a thing
  9. wave — a sudden rise
  10. tube — the underground
  11. wave — of the sea
  12. clip — to cut
  13. key — in music
  14. object — an aim
  15. clip — for paper
  16. key — the most important part
  17. tube — in a tire
  18. tear — from crying
  19. cue — for pool
  20. march — the month
  21. tear — to rip
  22. wave — with your hand
  23. march — the month
  24. object — to protest

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