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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. It's one o'clock ________________.
  2. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  3. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  4. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  5. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  6. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  7. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  8. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  9. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  10. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  11. The ________________ market has crashed.
  12. I'll be taking the ________________.
  13. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  14. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  15. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  16. That must've been a ________________.
  17. This piece is in a major ________________.
  18. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  19. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  20. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  21. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  22. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  23. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  24. The ________________ went through the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — exactly
  2. key — the most important part
  3. tube — in a tire
  4. tube — a container
  5. key — for a lock
  6. content — happy
  7. content — videos and posts
  8. tear — from crying
  9. stock — a soup base
  10. tear — to rip
  11. stock — shares
  12. tube — the underground
  13. stock — goods
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. nail — on a finger
  16. rush — a thrill
  17. key — in music
  18. tear — from crying
  19. sharp — with an edge
  20. sharp — clever
  21. rush — hurry
  22. rush — to hurry
  23. content — the amount
  24. nail — for a hammer

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