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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. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  3. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  4. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  5. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  6. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  7. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  8. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  9. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  10. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  13. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  14. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  15. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  16. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. My mare is ________________ in color.
  19. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  20. This piece is in a major ________________.
  21. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  22. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  23. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  24. I'll be taking the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — a container
  2. hand — help
  3. fall — the season
  4. bay — to keep at bay
  5. tube — in a tire
  6. key — for a lock
  7. key — the most important part
  8. fall — to drop
  9. capital — money
  10. bay — a part of the sea
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. field — for sport
  13. capital — a big letter
  14. field — farmland
  15. field — a subject
  16. capital — a city
  17. hand — in cards
  18. bay — a horse colour
  19. ruler — for measuring
  20. key — in music
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. fall — to drop
  23. ruler — a monarch
  24. tube — the underground

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