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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. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  2. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  3. There's no middle ________________.
  4. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  5. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  6. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  7. This piece is in a major ________________.
  8. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  9. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  10. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  11. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  12. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  13. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  14. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  15. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  16. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  17. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  18. The water is too ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. snap — to snap out of it
  3. ground — a position
  4. key — the most important part
  5. ground — crushed
  6. rest — what's left
  7. key — in music
  8. snap — to speak sharply
  9. ground — the earth
  10. rest — a break
  11. cold — the Cold War
  12. snap — to click
  13. lean — to bend
  14. lean — thin
  15. cold — an illness
  16. key — for a lock
  17. lean — to rest against
  18. cold — not warm

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