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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 116 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. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  2. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  3. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  4. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  5. That was a fun ________________.
  6. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  7. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  8. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  9. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  10. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  11. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  12. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  13. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  14. It's one o'clock ________________.
  15. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  16. This piece is in a major ________________.
  17. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  18. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  19. Have you found your soul ________________?
  20. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  21. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  22. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  23. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  24. I'll be taking the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. tube — in a tire
  3. track — a path
  4. key — the most important part
  5. game — a match
  6. game — wild animals
  7. cap — a hat
  8. mate — to breed
  9. game — a kind of play
  10. track — to keep track
  11. key — for a lock
  12. racket — a loud noise
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. sharp — exactly
  15. tube — a container
  16. key — in music
  17. mate — a friend
  18. track — a song
  19. mate — a partner
  20. cap — of ice
  21. sharp — clever
  22. cap — a lid
  23. sharp — with an edge
  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