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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. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  2. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  3. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  4. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  5. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  6. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  7. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  8. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  9. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  10. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  11. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  12. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  13. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  14. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  15. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  16. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  17. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  18. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  19. This piece is in a major ________________.
  20. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  21. I'll be taking the ________________.
  22. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  23. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  24. Hard work is the ________________ to success.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — a container
  2. leaves — lets stay
  3. tube — in a tire
  4. clip — a video
  5. key — for a lock
  6. lash — an eyelash
  7. drill — army training
  8. drill — the tool
  9. leaves — to go away
  10. clip — to cut
  11. cap — a hat
  12. lash — a whip stroke
  13. jam — a tight spot
  14. cap — of ice
  15. jam — to spread on bread
  16. jam — in traffic
  17. clip — for paper
  18. lash — to lash out
  19. key — in music
  20. drill — a practice
  21. tube — the underground
  22. leaves — of a tree
  23. cap — a lid
  24. key — the most important part

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