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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. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  2. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  3. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  4. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  5. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  6. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  7. My father caught me by the ________________.
  8. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  9. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  10. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  11. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  12. This piece is in a major ________________.
  13. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  14. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  15. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  16. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  17. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  18. Don't do anything ________________.
  19. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  20. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  21. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  22. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  23. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  24. I'll be taking the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for golf
  2. tube — a container
  3. tube — in a tire
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. stick — to attach or keep to
  6. club — a group
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. key — for a lock
  9. can — a tin
  10. spring — the season
  11. spring — of water
  12. key — in music
  13. club — for dancing
  14. arm — a part of something
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. rash — a series
  17. key — the most important part
  18. rash — hasty
  19. can — to be able to
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. can — a tin
  22. rash — on the skin
  23. spring — a coil
  24. tube — the underground

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