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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. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  2. This piece is in a major ________________.
  3. I'll be taking the ________________.
  4. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  5. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  6. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  7. The ________________ took off on time.
  8. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  9. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  10. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  11. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  12. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  13. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  14. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  15. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  16. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  17. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  18. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  19. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  20. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  21. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  22. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  23. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  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. bear — the animal
  2. key — in music
  3. tube — the underground
  4. wake — a trail
  5. tube — in a tire
  6. cabinet — a cupboard
  7. plane — an aircraft
  8. face — to confront
  9. key — the most important part
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. face — part of the head
  12. bear — to put up with
  13. tube — a container
  14. wake — to stop sleeping
  15. bear — the animal
  16. wake — before a funeral
  17. chair — a leader
  18. key — for a lock
  19. chair — a professorship
  20. face — to point toward
  21. plane — a tool
  22. plane — in geometry
  23. chair — to sit on
  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