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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. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  2. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  3. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  4. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  5. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  6. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  7. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  8. He works in a ________________ mill.
  9. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  10. The water is too ________________.
  11. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  12. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  13. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  14. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  15. I'll be taking the ________________.
  16. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  17. This piece is in a major ________________.
  18. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  19. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  20. I can't ________________ this cold.
  21. She's very handy with a ________________.
  22. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  23. My father caught me by the ________________.
  24. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.

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

Answer key

  1. key — for a lock
  2. leaves — to go away
  3. key — the most important part
  4. rock — music
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. stand — on your feet
  7. saw — past of 'see'
  8. saw — the tool
  9. rock — to move gently
  10. cold — not warm
  11. tube — in a tire
  12. arm — a part of something
  13. leaves — lets stay
  14. cold — an illness
  15. tube — the underground
  16. cold — the Cold War
  17. key — in music
  18. stand — for spectators
  19. leaves — of a tree
  20. stand — to bear
  21. saw — the tool
  22. rock — a stone
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. tube — a container

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