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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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
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Word bank
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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. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  2. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  3. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  4. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  5. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  6. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  7. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  8. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  9. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  10. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  11. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  12. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  13. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  14. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  15. This piece is in a major ________________.
  16. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  17. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  18. The King held a masked ________________.
  19. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  20. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  21. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  22. He is an ace ________________.
  23. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  24. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.

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

Answer key

  1. key — for a lock
  2. key — the most important part
  3. squash — to crush
  4. wind — moving air
  5. mine — for digging
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. squash — the vegetable
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. wind — to turn a key
  10. mine — belonging to me
  11. scale — size or range
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. ball — a great time
  14. ball — a round shape
  15. key — in music
  16. mine — an explosive
  17. scale — in music
  18. ball — a dance
  19. calf — of the leg
  20. squash — the sport
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. pitcher — in baseball
  23. wind — moving air
  24. scale — for weighing

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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