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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. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  3. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  4. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  5. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  6. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  7. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  8. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  9. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  10. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  11. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  12. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  13. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  14. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  15. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  16. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  17. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  18. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  19. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  20. This piece is in a major ________________.
  21. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  22. What do you think of the new ________________?
  23. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  24. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. key — the most important part
  2. key — for a lock
  3. bat — for baseball
  4. deal — to handle
  5. pitch — a sports field
  6. rock — to move gently
  7. rock — music
  8. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  9. pitch — a sales talk
  10. cabinet — a cupboard
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. kick — a thrill
  13. rock — a stone
  14. deal — an agreement
  15. kick — with a leg
  16. kick — in football
  17. bat — in an idiom
  18. deal — a big deal
  19. kid — to tease
  20. key — in music
  21. bat — the animal
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. pitch — completely
  24. kid — child

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