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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. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  2. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  3. The light ________________ burned out.
  4. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  5. The ball is in your ________________.
  6. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  7. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  8. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  9. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  10. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  11. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  12. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  13. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  14. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  15. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  16. This piece is in a major ________________.
  17. There's no middle ________________.
  18. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  19. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  20. I've got to change the light ________________.
  21. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  22. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  23. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  24. He keeps ________________ of his days.

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

Answer key

  1. key — the most important part
  2. kick — a thrill
  3. bulb — for light
  4. track — a song
  5. court — for sport
  6. track — a path
  7. key — for a lock
  8. court — of law
  9. bulb — of a plant
  10. bear — the animal
  11. straw — a straw man
  12. ground — crushed
  13. bear — to put up with
  14. ground — the earth
  15. straw — dry grass
  16. key — in music
  17. ground — a position
  18. straw — to clutch at straws
  19. kick — in football
  20. bulb — for light
  21. court — of a king
  22. bear — the animal
  23. kick — with a leg
  24. track — to keep track

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