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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. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  2. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  3. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  4. This piece is in a major ________________.
  5. The King held a masked ________________.
  6. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  7. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  8. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  9. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  10. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  11. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  12. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  13. That was a fun ________________.
  14. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  15. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  16. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  17. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  18. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  19. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  20. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  21. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  22. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  23. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  24. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.

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

Answer key

  1. key — the most important part
  2. hand — help
  3. hand — part of the body
  4. key — in music
  5. ball — a dance
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. game — wild animals
  8. prune — the fruit
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. dip — to dunk
  11. key — for a lock
  12. rule — to rule out
  13. game — a match
  14. hand — in cards
  15. prune — to trim
  16. rule — government
  17. game — a kind of play
  18. rule — a law
  19. ball — a round shape
  20. ball — a great time
  21. patient — calm and waiting
  22. dip — a sauce
  23. dip — to sink
  24. prune — to trim

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