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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. I'll be taking the ________________.
  2. He is an ace ________________.
  3. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  4. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  5. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  6. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  7. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  8. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  9. This piece is in a major ________________.
  10. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  11. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  12. Have you found your soul ________________?
  13. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  14. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  15. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  16. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  17. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  20. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  21. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  22. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  23. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  24. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — the underground
  2. pitcher — in baseball
  3. tube — a container
  4. key — for a lock
  5. lean — to rest against
  6. lean — to bend
  7. can — a tin
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. key — in music
  10. can — to be able to
  11. chair — a professorship
  12. mate — a partner
  13. lean — thin
  14. mate — to breed
  15. chair — a leader
  16. chair — to sit on
  17. game — wild animals
  18. game — a match
  19. tube — in a tire
  20. mate — a friend
  21. can — a tin
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. key — the most important part
  24. game — a kind of play

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