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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. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  2. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  3. The ________________ went through the wall.
  4. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  5. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  6. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  7. What do you think of the new ________________?
  8. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  9. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  10. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  11. I'll be taking the ________________.
  12. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  13. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  14. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  15. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  16. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  17. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  18. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  19. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  20. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  21. This piece is in a major ________________.
  22. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  23. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  24. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — in a tire
  2. net — for catching
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. key — the most important part
  5. squash — the vegetable
  6. key — for a lock
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. net — after costs
  9. nail — on a finger
  10. trunk — of a tree
  11. tube — the underground
  12. chair — to sit on
  13. chair — a professorship
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. net — in sport
  16. cabinet — a cupboard
  17. chair — a leader
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. squash — the sport
  20. trunk — of an elephant
  21. key — in music
  22. squash — to crush
  23. trunk — of a car
  24. tube — a container

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