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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.

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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. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  2. This piece is in a major ________________.
  3. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  4. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  5. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  6. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  7. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  8. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  9. Don't do anything ________________.
  10. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  11. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  12. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  13. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  14. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  15. He is an ace ________________.
  16. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  18. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?

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

Answer key

  1. key — the most important part
  2. key — in music
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  5. kid — child
  6. craft — a skill
  7. rash — on the skin
  8. wind — to turn a key
  9. rash — hasty
  10. wind — moving air
  11. rash — a series
  12. kid — to tease
  13. wind — moving air
  14. craft — a handicraft
  15. pitcher — in baseball
  16. craft — boats
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. key — for a lock

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