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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. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  3. This piece is in a major ________________.
  4. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  5. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  6. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  7. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  8. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  9. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  10. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  11. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  12. Where did you ________________ them?
  13. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  14. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  15. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  16. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  17. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  18. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  19. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  20. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  21. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  22. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  23. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  24. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.

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

Answer key

  1. key — the most important part
  2. wake — before a funeral
  3. key — in music
  4. key — for a lock
  5. wake — a trail
  6. squash — the sport
  7. squash — the vegetable
  8. mug — a cup
  9. mine — for digging
  10. tear — to rip
  11. rock — to move gently
  12. mug — to rob
  13. rock — music
  14. fall — the season
  15. tear — from crying
  16. rock — a stone
  17. squash — to crush
  18. fall — to drop
  19. mine — belonging to me
  20. fall — to drop
  21. tear — from crying
  22. mine — an explosive
  23. wake — to stop sleeping
  24. mug — a face

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