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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. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  2. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  3. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  4. When was this ________________ built?
  5. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  6. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  7. This piece is in a major ________________.
  8. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  9. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  10. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  11. My father caught me by the ________________.
  12. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  13. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  14. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  15. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  16. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  17. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  18. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  19. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  20. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  21. The light ________________ burned out.
  22. I've got to change the light ________________.
  23. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  24. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. key — the most important part
  2. file — a line of people
  3. bulb — of a plant
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. arm — a part of something
  7. key — in music
  8. key — for a lock
  9. scale — in music
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. straw — a straw man
  13. content — happy
  14. content — videos and posts
  15. file — a tool
  16. scale — for weighing
  17. file — a document
  18. straw — to clutch at straws
  19. temple — side of the head
  20. scale — size or range
  21. bulb — for light
  22. bulb — for light
  23. content — the amount
  24. straw — dry grass

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