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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 120 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'll take my ________________ from you.
  2. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  3. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  4. Have you met the new head ________________?
  5. I'll be taking the ________________.
  6. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  7. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  8. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  9. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  10. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  11. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  12. This piece is in a major ________________.
  13. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  14. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  15. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  16. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  17. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  18. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  19. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  20. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  21. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  22. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  23. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  24. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a hint
  2. scale — in music
  3. tube — in a tire
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. tube — the underground
  6. content — videos and posts
  7. key — for a lock
  8. vault — a safe
  9. field — a subject
  10. tube — a container
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. key — in music
  13. key — the most important part
  14. cue — for pool
  15. vault — in gymnastics
  16. field — farmland
  17. content — happy
  18. scale — for weighing
  19. vault — an arched ceiling
  20. cue — a signal
  21. field — for sport
  22. scale — size or range
  23. content — the amount
  24. coach — pulled by horses

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