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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. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  3. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  4. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  5. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  6. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  7. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  8. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  9. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  10. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  11. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  12. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  13. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  14. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  15. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  16. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  17. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  18. This piece is in a major ________________.
  19. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  20. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  21. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  22. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  23. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  24. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.

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

Answer key

  1. key — the most important part
  2. toast — the most admired
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. content — the amount
  5. hand — part of the body
  6. content — happy
  7. fine — high quality
  8. tear — from crying
  9. fine — a penalty
  10. key — for a lock
  11. toast — bread
  12. pass — to spend time
  13. fine — all right
  14. pass — to succeed
  15. tear — from crying
  16. mouse — for a computer
  17. pass — a permit
  18. key — in music
  19. toast — a drink to someone
  20. content — videos and posts
  21. hand — in cards
  22. hand — help
  23. tear — to rip
  24. mouse — the animal

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