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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. This piece is in a major ________________.
  2. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  3. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  4. The water is too ________________.
  5. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  6. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  7. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  8. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  9. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  10. It's one o'clock ________________.
  11. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  12. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  13. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  14. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  15. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  16. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  17. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  18. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  19. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  20. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  21. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  22. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  23. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  24. I'll be taking the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. key — in music
  2. tube — in a tire
  3. object — an aim
  4. cold — not warm
  5. snap — to speak sharply
  6. object — to protest
  7. key — the most important part
  8. cold — an illness
  9. can — a tin
  10. sharp — exactly
  11. snap — to snap out of it
  12. tube — a container
  13. sharp — clever
  14. can — to be able to
  15. key — for a lock
  16. prune — to trim
  17. can — a tin
  18. cold — the Cold War
  19. prune — the fruit
  20. prune — to trim
  21. sharp — with an edge
  22. object — a thing
  23. snap — to click
  24. tube — the underground

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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