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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. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  2. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  3. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  4. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  5. I'll be taking the ________________.
  6. The King held a masked ________________.
  7. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  8. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  9. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  10. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  11. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  12. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  13. This piece is in a major ________________.
  14. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  15. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  16. That was ________________ to happen.
  17. That must've been a ________________.
  18. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  19. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  20. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  21. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  22. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  23. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  24. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. tube — a container
  3. bound — obliged
  4. rush — hurry
  5. tube — the underground
  6. ball — a dance
  7. rest — what's left
  8. tube — in a tire
  9. row — a line
  10. bound — tied together
  11. key — the most important part
  12. ball — a round shape
  13. key — in music
  14. drill — the tool
  15. drill — a practice
  16. bound — certain
  17. rush — a thrill
  18. drill — army training
  19. row — to paddle
  20. rest — a break
  21. rush — to hurry
  22. row — a quarrel
  23. ball — a great time
  24. key — for a lock

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