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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 116 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. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  2. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  3. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  4. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  5. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  6. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  7. False peace will not ________________.
  8. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  9. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  10. This piece is in a major ________________.
  11. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  12. I'll be taking the ________________.
  13. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  14. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  15. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  16. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  17. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  18. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  19. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  20. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  21. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  22. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  23. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  24. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. staff — a stick
  3. key — the most important part
  4. tube — a container
  5. band — a rubber band
  6. fine — all right
  7. last — to go on
  8. key — for a lock
  9. last — final
  10. key — in music
  11. fine — high quality
  12. tube — the underground
  13. bear — to put up with
  14. hide — animal skin
  15. staff — employees
  16. staff — employees
  17. tube — in a tire
  18. last — finally
  19. band — a music group
  20. band — a ring
  21. fine — a penalty
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. bear — the animal

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