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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. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  2. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  3. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  4. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  5. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  6. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  7. Where did you ________________ them?
  8. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  9. That was a fun ________________.
  10. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  11. I'll be taking the ________________.
  12. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  13. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  14. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  15. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  16. The ________________ went through the wall.
  17. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  18. Have you met the new head ________________?
  19. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  20. This piece is in a major ________________.
  21. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  22. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  23. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  24. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a kind of play
  2. key — for a lock
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. nail — on a finger
  5. tube — a container
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. mug — to rob
  8. coach — pulled by horses
  9. game — a match
  10. mug — a cup
  11. tube — the underground
  12. hide — animal skin
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. mug — a face
  15. key — the most important part
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. capital — a city
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. capital — a big letter
  20. key — in music
  21. game — wild animals
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. capital — money
  24. tube — in a tire

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