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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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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: tube · key · fork · race · kid · lie · perch · pop

  1. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  2. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  3. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  4. This piece is in a major ________________.
  5. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  6. I'll be taking the ________________.
  7. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  8. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  9. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  10. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  11. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  12. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  13. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  14. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  15. You don't need to ________________ round.
  16. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  17. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  18. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  19. We're almost out of ________________.
  20. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  21. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  22. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  23. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  24. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — child
  2. tube — in a tire
  3. race — humankind
  4. key — in music
  5. key — for a lock
  6. tube — the underground
  7. perch — the fish
  8. fork — a garden tool
  9. pop — music
  10. lie — to recline
  11. fork — to eat with
  12. tube — a container
  13. kid — to tease
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. pop — to visit
  16. key — the most important part
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  19. pop — soda
  20. race — a contest
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. race — the arms race
  24. fork — in a road

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