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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 want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  2. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  3. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  4. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  5. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  6. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  7. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  8. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  9. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  10. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  11. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  12. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  13. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  14. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  15. I'll be taking the ________________.
  16. My mare is ________________ in color.
  17. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  18. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  19. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  20. This piece is in a major ________________.
  21. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  22. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  23. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  24. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — a container
  2. march — the month
  3. pound — to hit hard
  4. march — music
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. object — to protest
  7. key — for a lock
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. straw — to clutch at straws
  10. march — the month
  11. straw — a straw man
  12. straw — dry grass
  13. pound — for dogs
  14. lie — to recline
  15. tube — the underground
  16. bay — a horse colour
  17. pound — a weight
  18. bay — to keep at bay
  19. tube — in a tire
  20. key — in music
  21. bay — a part of the sea
  22. object — an aim
  23. key — the most important part
  24. object — a thing

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