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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. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  2. This piece is in a major ________________.
  3. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  4. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  5. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  6. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  7. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  8. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  9. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  10. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  11. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  12. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  13. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  14. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  15. I'll be taking the ________________.
  16. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  17. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  18. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  19. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  20. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  21. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  22. Did you ________________ the meat?
  23. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  24. There's a computer ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. key — the most important part
  2. key — in music
  3. tube — in a tire
  4. season — in sport
  5. face — to confront
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. wound — an injury
  8. tube — a container
  9. wound — past of 'wind'
  10. mine — belonging to me
  11. face — to point toward
  12. hide — animal skin
  13. mine — an explosive
  14. season — of the year
  15. tube — the underground
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. mine — for digging
  18. wound — an injury
  19. chip — to eat
  20. chip — for betting
  21. key — for a lock
  22. season — to add flavour
  23. face — part of the head
  24. chip — in a computer

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