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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. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  2. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  3. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  4. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  5. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  6. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  7. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  8. This piece is in a major ________________.
  9. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  10. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  11. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  12. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  13. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  14. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  15. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  16. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  17. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  18. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  19. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  20. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  21. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  22. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  23. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  24. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.

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

Answer key

  1. key — for a lock
  2. fine — high quality
  3. pound — to hit hard
  4. key — the most important part
  5. bank — of a river
  6. pound — a weight
  7. jam — a tight spot
  8. key — in music
  9. bank — for money
  10. pound — for dogs
  11. bank — for money
  12. jam — in traffic
  13. wind — moving air
  14. content — videos and posts
  15. jam — to spread on bread
  16. fine — all right
  17. wind — to turn a key
  18. fine — a penalty
  19. race — humankind
  20. content — the amount
  21. race — a contest
  22. race — the arms race
  23. content — happy
  24. wind — moving air

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