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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.

Words on the sheet
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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: ruler · track · cold · chair · key · tube · net · lash

  1. I'll be taking the ________________.
  2. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  3. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  4. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  5. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  6. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  7. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  8. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  9. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  10. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  11. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  14. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  15. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  16. The water is too ________________.
  17. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  18. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  19. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  20. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  21. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  22. This piece is in a major ________________.
  23. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  24. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — the underground
  2. track — a path
  3. lash — to lash out
  4. chair — a leader
  5. track — to keep track
  6. lash — a whip stroke
  7. net — after costs
  8. tube — a container
  9. chair — a professorship
  10. net — in sport
  11. ruler — a monarch
  12. net — for catching
  13. key — the most important part
  14. tube — in a tire
  15. chair — to sit on
  16. cold — not warm
  17. lash — an eyelash
  18. ruler — for measuring
  19. cold — the Cold War
  20. key — for a lock
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. key — in music
  23. cold — an illness
  24. track — a song

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