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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 116 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. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  2. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  3. That must've been a ________________.
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  6. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  7. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  10. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  11. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  14. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  15. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  16. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  17. The ball is in your ________________.
  18. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  19. This piece is in a major ________________.
  20. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  21. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  22. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  23. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  24. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — hurry
  2. key — the most important part
  3. rush — a thrill
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. wave — with your hand
  6. rush — to hurry
  7. court — of a king
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. court — of law
  10. key — for a lock
  11. mark — a grade
  12. mine — for digging
  13. tear — from crying
  14. spring — of water
  15. tear — to rip
  16. mark — a trace
  17. court — for sport
  18. spring — a coil
  19. key — in music
  20. mark — to pay attention
  21. wave — a sudden rise
  22. wave — of the sea
  23. spring — the season
  24. tear — from crying

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