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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. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. He works in a ________________ mill.
  5. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  6. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  7. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  8. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  9. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  10. False peace will not ________________.
  11. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  12. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  13. This piece is in a major ________________.
  14. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  15. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  16. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  17. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  18. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  19. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  20. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  21. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  22. She's very handy with a ________________.
  23. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  24. Have you found your soul ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. key — the most important part
  2. cue — a hint
  3. last — final
  4. saw — the tool
  5. bass — low music
  6. saw — past of 'see'
  7. last — finally
  8. mate — a friend
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. last — to go on
  11. cue — a signal
  12. mate — to breed
  13. key — in music
  14. cue — for pool
  15. object — to protest
  16. key — for a lock
  17. object — an aim
  18. patient — calm and waiting
  19. object — a thing
  20. bass — the fish
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. saw — the tool
  23. bass — the instrument
  24. mate — a partner

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