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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. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  2. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  3. False peace will not ________________.
  4. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  5. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  6. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  7. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  8. I'll be taking the ________________.
  9. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  10. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  11. This piece is in a major ________________.
  12. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  13. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  14. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  15. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  16. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  17. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  18. He was locked up in a ________________.
  19. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  20. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  21. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  22. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  23. How do you ________________ your surname?
  24. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. last — final
  3. last — to go on
  4. key — for a lock
  5. scale — size or range
  6. can — a tin
  7. cell — a phone
  8. tube — the underground
  9. can — to be able to
  10. spell — a short time
  11. key — in music
  12. cell — in biology
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. key — the most important part
  15. mouse — for a computer
  16. tube — a container
  17. scale — in music
  18. cell — in a prison
  19. scale — for weighing
  20. can — a tin
  21. last — finally
  22. spell — magic
  23. spell — letters
  24. tube — in a tire

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