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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. When are we going to ________________?
  2. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  3. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  4. I'll be taking the ________________.
  5. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  6. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  7. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  8. Don't do anything ________________.
  9. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  10. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  11. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  12. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  13. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  14. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  15. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  16. This piece is in a major ________________.
  17. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  18. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  19. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  20. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  21. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  22. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  23. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  24. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.

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

Answer key

  1. land — to come down
  2. bowl — a football final
  3. tube — in a tire
  4. tube — the underground
  5. tube — a container
  6. cap — a hat
  7. toast — the most admired
  8. rash — hasty
  9. land — ground
  10. bowl — to roll
  11. key — the most important part
  12. rash — on the skin
  13. toast — bread
  14. cap — a lid
  15. kid — to tease
  16. key — in music
  17. bowl — a dish
  18. key — for a lock
  19. kid — child
  20. land — a country
  21. cap — of ice
  22. toast — a drink to someone
  23. rash — a series
  24. kid — young goat (kid gloves)

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