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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. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  2. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  3. My father caught me by the ________________.
  4. This piece is in a major ________________.
  5. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  6. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  7. That must've been a ________________.
  8. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  9. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  10. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  11. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  12. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  13. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  14. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  15. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  16. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  17. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  18. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  19. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  20. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  21. The water is too ________________.
  22. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  23. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  24. Don't do anything ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. key — for a lock
  2. rash — a series
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. key — in music
  5. cold — an illness
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. rush — a thrill
  8. calf — of the leg
  9. cold — the Cold War
  10. cue — a signal
  11. rush — hurry
  12. mark — a trace
  13. arm — a part of something
  14. rush — to hurry
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. mark — to pay attention
  17. mark — a grade
  18. cue — for pool
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. key — the most important part
  21. cold — not warm
  22. cue — a hint
  23. rash — on the skin
  24. rash — hasty

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