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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. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  2. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  3. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  4. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  5. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  6. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  7. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  8. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  9. I'll be taking the ________________.
  10. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  11. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  12. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  13. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  14. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  15. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  16. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  17. David sat on the ________________.
  18. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  19. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  20. This piece is in a major ________________.
  21. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  22. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  23. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  24. Have you settled on a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. key — the most important part
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. jam — to spread on bread
  4. swing — in golf
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. chip — to eat
  7. tube — a container
  8. swing — music
  9. tube — the underground
  10. key — for a lock
  11. jam — in traffic
  12. chip — in a computer
  13. stick — to attach or keep to
  14. chip — for betting
  15. tube — in a tire
  16. date — the fruit
  17. swing — to play on
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. key — in music
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. patient — calm and waiting
  23. jam — a tight spot
  24. date — on the calendar

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