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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. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  2. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  3. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  4. This piece is in a major ________________.
  5. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  6. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  7. David sat on the ________________.
  8. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  9. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  10. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  11. I'll be taking the ________________.
  12. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  13. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  14. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  15. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  16. It's one o'clock ________________.
  17. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  18. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  19. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  20. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  21. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  22. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  23. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  24. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — with an edge
  2. tube — a container
  3. chip — in a computer
  4. key — in music
  5. bat — the animal
  6. present — there
  7. swing — to play on
  8. leaves — of a tree
  9. sharp — clever
  10. present — a gift
  11. tube — the underground
  12. tube — in a tire
  13. swing — music
  14. bat — in an idiom
  15. present — the time now
  16. sharp — exactly
  17. chip — for betting
  18. key — the most important part
  19. bat — for baseball
  20. key — for a lock
  21. leaves — to go away
  22. chip — to eat
  23. leaves — lets stay
  24. swing — in golf

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