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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. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  2. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  3. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  4. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  5. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  6. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  7. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  8. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  9. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  10. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  11. That was ________________ to happen.
  12. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  13. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  14. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  15. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  16. This piece is in a major ________________.
  17. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  18. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  19. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  20. I'll be taking the ________________.
  21. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  22. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  23. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  24. The elephant has a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. key — for a lock
  2. wake — before a funeral
  3. ruler — for measuring
  4. trunk — of a car
  5. march — the month
  6. tube — a container
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. march — the month
  9. wake — to stop sleeping
  10. wake — a trail
  11. bound — certain
  12. bound — obliged
  13. ruler — for measuring
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. key — the most important part
  16. key — in music
  17. lie — to recline
  18. tube — in a tire
  19. bound — tied together
  20. tube — the underground
  21. ruler — a monarch
  22. trunk — of a tree
  23. march — music
  24. trunk — of an elephant

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