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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. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  2. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  3. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  4. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  5. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  6. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  7. This piece is in a major ________________.
  8. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  9. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  10. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  11. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  12. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  13. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  14. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  15. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  16. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  17. He is an ace ________________.
  18. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  19. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  20. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  21. I'll be taking the ________________.
  22. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  23. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  24. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — for baseball
  2. key — the most important part
  3. bat — the animal
  4. straw — to clutch at straws
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. tube — in a tire
  7. key — in music
  8. can — a tin
  9. fine — a penalty
  10. bat — in an idiom
  11. can — to be able to
  12. key — for a lock
  13. fine — high quality
  14. hide — animal skin
  15. straw — dry grass
  16. tube — a container
  17. pitcher — in baseball
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. fine — all right
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. tube — the underground
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. straw — a straw man
  24. can — a tin

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