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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. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  2. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  3. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  4. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  5. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  6. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  7. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  8. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  9. You don't need to ________________ round.
  10. We're almost out of ________________.
  11. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  12. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  13. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  14. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  15. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  16. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  17. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  18. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  19. This piece is in a major ________________.
  20. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  21. When are we going to ________________?
  22. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  23. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  24. I'll be taking the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — music
  2. key — the most important part
  3. file — a line of people
  4. bowl — a football final
  5. tube — a container
  6. file — a document
  7. bear — to put up with
  8. land — a country
  9. pop — to visit
  10. pop — soda
  11. bowl — a dish
  12. tube — in a tire
  13. fall — to drop
  14. fall — the season
  15. bear — the animal
  16. fall — to drop
  17. key — for a lock
  18. bear — the animal
  19. key — in music
  20. file — a tool
  21. land — to come down
  22. bowl — to roll
  23. land — ground
  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