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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. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  2. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  3. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  4. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  5. This piece is in a major ________________.
  6. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  7. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  8. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  9. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  10. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  11. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  12. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  13. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  14. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  15. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  16. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  17. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  18. I'll be taking the ________________.
  19. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  20. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  21. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  22. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  23. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  24. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — a container
  2. lash — an eyelash
  3. face — to point toward
  4. key — the most important part
  5. key — in music
  6. wind — moving air
  7. track — a path
  8. field — for sport
  9. wind — to turn a key
  10. lash — a whip stroke
  11. key — for a lock
  12. track — to keep track
  13. track — a song
  14. stick — to attach or keep to
  15. wind — moving air
  16. tube — in a tire
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. tube — the underground
  19. face — to confront
  20. face — part of the head
  21. field — a subject
  22. field — farmland
  23. lash — to lash out
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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