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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 kitten curled into a ________________.
  2. I'll be taking the ________________.
  3. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  4. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  5. The King held a masked ________________.
  6. This piece is in a major ________________.
  7. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  8. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  9. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  10. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  11. We're almost out of ________________.
  12. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  13. Where did you ________________ them?
  14. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  15. You don't need to ________________ round.
  16. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  17. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  18. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  19. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  20. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  21. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  22. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  23. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  24. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a round shape
  2. tube — the underground
  3. key — for a lock
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. ball — a dance
  6. key — in music
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. chair — to sit on
  9. tube — a container
  10. stick — to attach or keep to
  11. pop — soda
  12. mug — a cup
  13. mug — to rob
  14. tear — from crying
  15. pop — to visit
  16. chair — a leader
  17. pop — music
  18. ball — a great time
  19. tear — from crying
  20. tube — in a tire
  21. chair — a professorship
  22. key — the most important part
  23. tear — to rip
  24. mug — a face

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