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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. Have you found your soul ________________?
  3. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  4. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  5. She's very handy with a ________________.
  6. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  7. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  8. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  9. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  10. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  11. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  12. This piece is in a major ________________.
  13. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  14. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  15. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  16. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  17. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  18. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  19. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  20. He works in a ________________ mill.
  21. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  22. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  23. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  24. I'll be taking the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — a container
  2. mate — a partner
  3. saw — past of 'see'
  4. lean — to rest against
  5. saw — the tool
  6. straw — dry grass
  7. tube — in a tire
  8. key — the most important part
  9. mate — to breed
  10. lean — thin
  11. mate — a friend
  12. key — in music
  13. present — a gift
  14. straw — a straw man
  15. firm — a company
  16. straw — to clutch at straws
  17. present — there
  18. lean — to bend
  19. key — for a lock
  20. saw — the tool
  21. present — the time now
  22. firm — decided
  23. firm — steady
  24. tube — the underground

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