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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. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  2. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  3. What do you think of the new ________________?
  4. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  5. He was locked up in a ________________.
  6. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  7. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  8. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  9. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  10. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  11. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  12. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  13. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  14. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  15. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  16. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  17. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  18. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  19. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  20. This piece is in a major ________________.
  21. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  22. I'll be taking the ________________.
  23. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  24. Hard work is the ________________ to success.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — in a tire
  2. key — for a lock
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. cabinet — a cupboard
  5. cell — in a prison
  6. scale — size or range
  7. foot — the bottom
  8. lash — an eyelash
  9. file — a document
  10. lash — a whip stroke
  11. lash — to lash out
  12. scale — for weighing
  13. foot — a measure
  14. tube — a container
  15. cell — in biology
  16. file — a tool
  17. foot — part of the body
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. cell — a phone
  20. key — in music
  21. scale — in music
  22. tube — the underground
  23. file — a line of people
  24. key — the most important part

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