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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. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  2. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  3. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  4. The King held a masked ________________.
  5. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  6. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  7. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  8. We're on a ________________ here.
  9. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  10. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  11. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  12. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  13. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  14. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  15. This piece is in a major ________________.
  16. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  17. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  18. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  19. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  20. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  21. That must've been a ________________.
  22. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  23. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  24. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.

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

Answer key

  1. key — the most important part
  2. wound — an injury
  3. wound — an injury
  4. ball — a dance
  5. fine — high quality
  6. wound — past of 'wind'
  7. roll — a cake
  8. roll — on a roll
  9. fine — all right
  10. rush — to hurry
  11. ball — a round shape
  12. squash — the sport
  13. rush — hurry
  14. snap — to speak sharply
  15. key — in music
  16. snap — to click
  17. ball — a great time
  18. fine — a penalty
  19. roll — a list
  20. snap — to snap out of it
  21. rush — a thrill
  22. key — for a lock
  23. squash — to crush
  24. squash — the vegetable

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