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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. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  2. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  3. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  4. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  5. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  6. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  7. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  8. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  9. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  10. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  11. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  12. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  13. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  14. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  15. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  16. This piece is in a major ________________.
  17. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  18. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  19. I'll be taking the ________________.
  20. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  21. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  22. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  23. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  24. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — the animal
  2. hand — part of the body
  3. rest — a break
  4. bat — in an idiom
  5. hand — help
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. tube — in a tire
  8. hand — in cards
  9. key — for a lock
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. leaves — to go away
  12. capital — money
  13. bat — for baseball
  14. rest — what's left
  15. leaves — of a tree
  16. key — in music
  17. hide — animal skin
  18. leaves — lets stay
  19. tube — the underground
  20. rest — what's left
  21. capital — a big letter
  22. capital — a city
  23. key — the most important part
  24. tube — a container

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