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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  2. He was locked up in a ________________.
  3. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  4. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  5. That must've been a ________________.
  6. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  7. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  8. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  9. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  10. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  11. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  12. This piece is in a major ________________.
  13. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  14. Have you settled on a ________________?
  15. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  16. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  17. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  18. When are we going to ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. key — for a lock
  2. cell — in a prison
  3. cell — a phone
  4. rush — to hurry
  5. rush — a thrill
  6. key — the most important part
  7. rush — hurry
  8. land — a country
  9. can — to be able to
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. cell — in biology
  12. key — in music
  13. can — a tin
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. land — ground
  16. date — the fruit
  17. can — a tin
  18. land — to come down

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