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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 116 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. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  2. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  3. I'll be taking the ________________.
  4. Where did you ________________ them?
  5. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  6. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  7. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  8. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  9. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  10. This piece is in a major ________________.
  11. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  12. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  13. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  14. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  15. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  16. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  17. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  18. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  19. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  20. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  21. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  22. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  23. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  24. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a face
  2. key — for a lock
  3. tube — the underground
  4. mug — to rob
  5. tube — a container
  6. wake — to stop sleeping
  7. rock — to move gently
  8. wound — an injury
  9. rock — music
  10. key — in music
  11. pit — a fruit stone
  12. pit — a hole
  13. wound — past of 'wind'
  14. wound — an injury
  15. key — the most important part
  16. tube — in a tire
  17. rock — a stone
  18. bass — low music
  19. bass — the instrument
  20. pit — in a race
  21. mug — a cup
  22. wake — a trail
  23. bass — the fish
  24. wake — before a funeral

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