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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. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  2. This piece is in a major ________________.
  3. My father caught me by the ________________.
  4. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  7. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  8. False peace will not ________________.
  9. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  10. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  11. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  12. We're almost out of ________________.
  13. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  14. You don't need to ________________ round.
  15. That must've been a ________________.
  16. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  17. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  18. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  19. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  20. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  21. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  22. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  23. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  24. He is an ace ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. key — for a lock
  2. key — in music
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. arm — a part of something
  5. last — final
  6. rush — hurry
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. last — to go on
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. rush — to hurry
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. pop — soda
  13. last — finally
  14. pop — to visit
  15. rush — a thrill
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. mouse — for a computer
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. pop — music
  22. key — the most important part
  23. patient — calm and waiting
  24. pitcher — in baseball

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