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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 116 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. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  4. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  5. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  6. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  7. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  8. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  9. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  10. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  11. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  12. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  13. Don't do anything ________________.
  14. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  15. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  16. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  17. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  18. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.

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

Answer key

  1. key — in music
  2. mine — for digging
  3. lean — to bend
  4. rash — on the skin
  5. club — a group
  6. mine — an explosive
  7. fine — high quality
  8. club — for dancing
  9. lean — thin
  10. club — for golf
  11. lean — to rest against
  12. key — for a lock
  13. rash — hasty
  14. mine — belonging to me
  15. key — the most important part
  16. fine — all right
  17. rash — a series
  18. fine — a penalty

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