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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 want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  2. This piece is in a major ________________.
  3. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  4. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  5. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  6. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  7. The King held a masked ________________.
  8. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  9. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  10. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  11. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  12. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  13. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  14. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  15. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  16. I'll be taking the ________________.
  17. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  18. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  19. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  20. That was a fun ________________.
  21. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  22. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  23. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  24. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — a container
  2. key — in music
  3. dip — to sink
  4. key — the most important part
  5. game — wild animals
  6. capital — a big letter
  7. ball — a dance
  8. dip — a sauce
  9. tube — in a tire
  10. rule — government
  11. dip — to dunk
  12. trunk — of an elephant
  13. trunk — of a tree
  14. rule — a law
  15. capital — a city
  16. tube — the underground
  17. ball — a round shape
  18. game — a kind of play
  19. key — for a lock
  20. game — a match
  21. ball — a great time
  22. trunk — of a car
  23. rule — to rule out
  24. capital — money

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