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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. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  2. The ball is in your ________________.
  3. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  4. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  5. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  6. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  7. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  8. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  9. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  10. This piece is in a major ________________.
  11. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  12. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  13. The ________________ went through the wall.
  14. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  15. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  16. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  17. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  18. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  19. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  20. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  21. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  22. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  23. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  24. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — of ice
  2. court — for sport
  3. wake — a trail
  4. nail — on a finger
  5. present — the time now
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. content — the amount
  8. key — the most important part
  9. content — videos and posts
  10. key — in music
  11. present — a gift
  12. key — for a lock
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. wake — to stop sleeping
  15. wake — before a funeral
  16. scale — for weighing
  17. scale — in music
  18. cap — a lid
  19. scale — size or range
  20. court — of law
  21. present — there
  22. court — of a king
  23. cap — a hat
  24. content — happy

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