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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. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  3. We're almost out of ________________.
  4. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  5. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  6. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  7. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  8. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  9. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  10. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  11. You don't need to ________________ round.
  12. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  13. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  14. I'll be taking the ________________.
  15. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  16. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  17. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  18. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  19. This piece is in a major ________________.
  20. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  21. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  22. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  23. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  24. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.

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

Answer key

  1. key — the most important part
  2. pop — music
  3. pop — soda
  4. rock — to move gently
  5. tube — in a tire
  6. fork — in a road
  7. rock — a stone
  8. rock — music
  9. row — a quarrel
  10. row — a line
  11. pop — to visit
  12. row — to paddle
  13. tear — from crying
  14. tube — the underground
  15. club — for golf
  16. tear — from crying
  17. club — for dancing
  18. fork — a garden tool
  19. key — in music
  20. key — for a lock
  21. fork — to eat with
  22. tear — to rip
  23. tube — a container
  24. club — a group

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