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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. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  2. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  3. When was this ________________ built?
  4. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. I'll be taking the ________________.
  7. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  8. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  9. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  10. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  11. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  12. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  13. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  14. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  15. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  16. My father caught me by the ________________.
  17. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  18. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  19. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  20. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  21. This piece is in a major ________________.
  22. The King held a masked ________________.
  23. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  24. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — a straw man
  2. key — for a lock
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. temple — side of the head
  5. march — music
  6. tube — the underground
  7. tube — in a tire
  8. arm — a part of something
  9. key — the most important part
  10. march — the month
  11. march — the month
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. file — a line of people
  14. ball — a great time
  15. file — a document
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. straw — dry grass
  19. ball — a round shape
  20. straw — to clutch at straws
  21. key — in music
  22. ball — a dance
  23. tube — a container
  24. file — a tool

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