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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. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  2. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  3. This piece is in a major ________________.
  4. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  5. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  6. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  7. He was locked up in a ________________.
  8. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  9. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  10. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  11. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  12. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  13. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  14. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  15. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  16. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  17. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  18. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  19. I'll be taking the ________________.
  20. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  21. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  22. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  23. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  24. We were using a ________________ as a seat.

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

Answer key

  1. key — for a lock
  2. squash — the vegetable
  3. key — in music
  4. squash — the sport
  5. rest — what's left
  6. tube — a container
  7. cell — in a prison
  8. bat — the animal
  9. rest — a break
  10. rock — music
  11. squash — to crush
  12. key — the most important part
  13. cell — in biology
  14. tube — in a tire
  15. rest — what's left
  16. cap — a hat
  17. cap — of ice
  18. rock — to move gently
  19. tube — the underground
  20. bat — for baseball
  21. cell — a phone
  22. bat — in an idiom
  23. cap — a lid
  24. rock — a stone

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