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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 need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  2. This piece is in a major ________________.
  3. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  4. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  5. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  6. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  7. I'll be taking the ________________.
  8. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  9. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  10. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  11. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  12. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  13. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  14. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  15. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  16. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  17. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  18. Don't do anything ________________.
  19. It's one o'clock ________________.
  20. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  21. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  22. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  23. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  24. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — in a tire
  2. key — in music
  3. wave — a sudden rise
  4. snap — to click
  5. capital — money
  6. capital — a city
  7. tube — the underground
  8. bass — the instrument
  9. tube — a container
  10. sharp — with an edge
  11. sharp — clever
  12. rash — a series
  13. snap — to snap out of it
  14. wave — of the sea
  15. rash — on the skin
  16. key — for a lock
  17. key — the most important part
  18. rash — hasty
  19. sharp — exactly
  20. wave — with your hand
  21. bass — low music
  22. capital — a big letter
  23. bass — the fish
  24. snap — to speak sharply

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