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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. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  2. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  3. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  4. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  5. This piece is in a major ________________.
  6. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  7. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  8. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  9. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  10. It's one o'clock ________________.
  11. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  12. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  13. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  14. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  15. We're almost out of ________________.
  16. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  17. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  18. He is an ace ________________.
  19. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  20. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  21. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  22. You don't need to ________________ round.
  23. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  24. Hard work is the ________________ to success.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — a meteor shower
  2. key — for a lock
  3. lean — to bend
  4. content — happy
  5. key — in music
  6. content — videos and posts
  7. sharp — clever
  8. mine — for digging
  9. content — the amount
  10. sharp — exactly
  11. lean — to rest against
  12. pop — music
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. pop — soda
  16. mine — an explosive
  17. shower — to wash
  18. pitcher — in baseball
  19. shower — rain
  20. mine — belonging to me
  21. sharp — with an edge
  22. pop — to visit
  23. lean — thin
  24. key — the most important part

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