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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 King held a masked ________________.
  2. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  3. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  4. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  5. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  6. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  7. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  8. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  9. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  10. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  11. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  12. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  13. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  14. This piece is in a major ________________.
  15. How do you ________________ your surname?
  16. That must've been a ________________.
  17. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  18. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  19. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  20. That was ________________ to happen.
  21. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  22. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  23. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  24. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a dance
  2. key — the most important part
  3. bound — tied together
  4. object — a thing
  5. object — an aim
  6. content — videos and posts
  7. rush — to hurry
  8. content — the amount
  9. mine — for digging
  10. spell — a short time
  11. object — to protest
  12. spell — magic
  13. mine — an explosive
  14. key — in music
  15. spell — letters
  16. rush — a thrill
  17. content — happy
  18. rush — hurry
  19. key — for a lock
  20. bound — certain
  21. mine — belonging to me
  22. bound — obliged
  23. ball — a round shape
  24. ball — a great time

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