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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. When are we going to ________________?
  2. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  3. He is an ace ________________.
  4. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  5. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  6. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  7. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  8. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  9. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  10. This piece is in a major ________________.
  11. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  12. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  13. Where did you ________________ them?
  14. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  15. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  16. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  17. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  18. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  19. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  20. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  21. It's one o'clock ________________.
  22. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  23. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  24. I would like to have a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. land — to come down
  2. key — for a lock
  3. pitcher — in baseball
  4. key — the most important part
  5. rest — what's left
  6. spring — the season
  7. mouse — for a computer
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. mug — a cup
  10. key — in music
  11. land — a country
  12. spring — a coil
  13. mug — to rob
  14. sharp — with an edge
  15. sharp — clever
  16. land — ground
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. rest — what's left
  21. sharp — exactly
  22. mug — a face
  23. spring — of water
  24. rest — a break

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