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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. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  3. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  4. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  5. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. I'll be taking the ________________.
  8. This piece is in a major ________________.
  9. The light ________________ burned out.
  10. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  11. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  12. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  13. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  14. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  15. I've got to change the light ________________.
  16. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  17. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  18. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  19. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  20. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  21. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  22. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  23. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  24. That was a fun ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a kind of play
  2. tube — in a tire
  3. tube — a container
  4. key — the most important part
  5. fork — a garden tool
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. tube — the underground
  8. key — in music
  9. bulb — for light
  10. wax — to grow
  11. drill — a practice
  12. fork — to eat with
  13. bulb — of a plant
  14. race — humankind
  15. bulb — for light
  16. race — the arms race
  17. fork — in a road
  18. wax — in the ear
  19. drill — the tool
  20. race — a contest
  21. drill — army training
  22. game — wild animals
  23. key — for a lock
  24. game — a match

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