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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. Have you met the new head ________________?
  2. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  3. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  4. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  5. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  6. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  7. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  8. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  9. I'll be taking the ________________.
  10. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  11. This piece is in a major ________________.
  12. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  13. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  14. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  15. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  16. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  17. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  18. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  19. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  20. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  21. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  22. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  23. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  24. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. firm — steady
  3. tube — in a tire
  4. coach — pulled by horses
  5. fork — a garden tool
  6. key — for a lock
  7. tear — from crying
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. tube — the underground
  10. tube — a container
  11. key — in music
  12. ruler — a monarch
  13. ruler — for measuring
  14. firm — decided
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. fork — to eat with
  18. tear — to rip
  19. tear — from crying
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. firm — a company
  22. key — the most important part
  23. fork — in a road
  24. stick — to attach or keep to

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