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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. You don't need to ________________ round.
  2. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  3. This piece is in a major ________________.
  4. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  5. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  6. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  7. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  8. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  9. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  10. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  11. We're almost out of ________________.
  12. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  13. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  14. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  15. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  16. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  17. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  18. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  19. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  20. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  21. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  22. We're on a ________________ here.
  23. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  24. What do you think of the new ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. pop — to visit
  2. hand — help
  3. key — in music
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. stick — to attach or keep to
  7. key — for a lock
  8. lash — an eyelash
  9. roll — a list
  10. hand — part of the body
  11. pop — soda
  12. object — an aim
  13. cabinet — a cupboard
  14. pop — music
  15. lash — to lash out
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. lash — a whip stroke
  18. hand — in cards
  19. key — the most important part
  20. object — a thing
  21. roll — a cake
  22. roll — on a roll
  23. object — to protest
  24. cabinet — ministers

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