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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 want to ________________ the boat.
  2. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  3. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  4. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  5. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  6. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  7. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  8. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  9. The King held a masked ________________.
  10. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  11. This piece is in a major ________________.
  12. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  13. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  14. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  15. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  16. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  17. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  18. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  19. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  20. I'll be taking the ________________.
  21. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  22. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  23. When will it ________________ you to start?
  24. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — to move gently
  2. tube — in a tire
  3. ball — a great time
  4. lash — to lash out
  5. key — the most important part
  6. spring — the season
  7. rock — a stone
  8. rock — music
  9. ball — a dance
  10. key — for a lock
  11. key — in music
  12. march — the month
  13. suit — clothes
  14. spring — a coil
  15. lash — a whip stroke
  16. ball — a round shape
  17. suit — in cards
  18. lash — an eyelash
  19. march — music
  20. tube — the underground
  21. tube — a container
  22. march — the month
  23. suit — to fit
  24. spring — of water

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