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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  2. This piece is in a major ________________.
  3. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  4. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  5. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  6. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  7. When was this ________________ built?
  8. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  9. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  10. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  11. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  12. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  13. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  14. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  15. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  16. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  17. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  18. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  19. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  20. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  21. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  22. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  23. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  24. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to click
  2. key — in music
  3. club — for dancing
  4. pit — a fruit stone
  5. band — a rubber band
  6. snap — to snap out of it
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. pit — in a race
  9. key — the most important part
  10. band — a ring
  11. root — the cause
  12. pit — a hole
  13. temple — side of the head
  14. club — a group
  15. root — of a word
  16. wound — an injury
  17. band — a music group
  18. snap — to speak sharply
  19. wound — past of 'wind'
  20. key — for a lock
  21. temple — a place of worship
  22. wound — an injury
  23. club — for golf
  24. root — of a plant

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