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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's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  2. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  3. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  4. This piece is in a major ________________.
  5. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  6. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  7. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  8. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  9. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  10. The ________________ market has crashed.
  11. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  12. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  13. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  14. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  15. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  16. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  17. My father caught me by the ________________.
  18. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  19. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  20. I'll be taking the ________________.
  21. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  22. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  23. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  24. What's the difference between broth and ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. tube — in a tire
  3. bat — in an idiom
  4. key — in music
  5. bat — for baseball
  6. staff — a stick
  7. arm — a part of something
  8. can — a tin
  9. shower — to wash
  10. stock — shares
  11. key — for a lock
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. can — to be able to
  14. staff — employees
  15. stock — goods
  16. can — a tin
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. bat — the animal
  19. shower — rain
  20. tube — the underground
  21. key — the most important part
  22. shower — a meteor shower
  23. tube — a container
  24. stock — a soup base

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