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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 124 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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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: land · game · clip · pound · tube · can · safe · key

  1. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  2. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  3. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  4. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  5. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  6. I'll be taking the ________________.
  7. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  8. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  9. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  10. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  11. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  12. That was a fun ________________.
  13. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  14. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  15. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  16. When are we going to ________________?
  17. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  18. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  19. This piece is in a major ________________.
  20. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  21. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  22. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  23. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  24. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. clip — for paper
  3. key — the most important part
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. tube — in a tire
  6. tube — the underground
  7. key — for a lock
  8. land — ground
  9. pound — a weight
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. clip — to cut
  12. game — a match
  13. can — a tin
  14. tube — a container
  15. clip — a video
  16. land — to come down
  17. safe — a strongbox
  18. game — a kind of play
  19. key — in music
  20. pound — to hit hard
  21. land — a country
  22. pound — for dogs
  23. can — to be able to
  24. game — wild animals

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