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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. This piece is in a major ________________.
  2. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  3. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  4. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  5. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  6. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  7. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  8. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  9. You don't need to ________________ round.
  10. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  11. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  12. We're almost out of ________________.
  13. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. Have you met the new head ________________?
  16. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  17. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  18. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  19. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  20. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  21. We're on a ________________ here.
  22. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  23. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  24. 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 — in music
  2. row — a quarrel
  3. key — the most important part
  4. coach — pulled by horses
  5. rest — a break
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. rest — what's left
  8. hand — part of the body
  9. pop — to visit
  10. roll — a cake
  11. hand — help
  12. pop — soda
  13. mine — belonging to me
  14. mine — for digging
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. roll — a list
  17. row — a line
  18. mine — an explosive
  19. hand — in cards
  20. pop — music
  21. roll — on a roll
  22. row — to paddle
  23. rest — what's left
  24. 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