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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'll be taking the ________________.
  2. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  3. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  4. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  5. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  6. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  7. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  8. My father caught me by the ________________.
  9. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  10. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  11. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  12. This piece is in a major ________________.
  13. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  14. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  15. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  16. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  17. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  18. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  19. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  20. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  21. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  22. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  23. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  24. What do you think of the new ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. tube — the underground
  2. key — for a lock
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. tube — a container
  5. tube — in a tire
  6. arm — a part of something
  7. track — a path
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. pitch — a sales talk
  10. bowl — a dish
  11. pitch — a sports field
  12. key — in music
  13. pitch — completely
  14. mine — an explosive
  15. key — the most important part
  16. cabinet — a cupboard
  17. track — a song
  18. track — to keep track
  19. bowl — to roll
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. mine — belonging to me
  22. mine — for digging
  23. bowl — a football final
  24. cabinet — ministers

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