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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. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  2. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  3. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  4. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  5. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  6. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  7. That was a fun ________________.
  8. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  11. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  12. He is an ace ________________.
  13. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  14. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  15. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  16. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  17. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  18. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  19. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  20. This piece is in a major ________________.
  21. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  22. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  23. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  24. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. key — for a lock
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. wind — moving air
  5. tear — to rip
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. game — a match
  8. lean — to rest against
  9. game — wild animals
  10. lean — to bend
  11. deal — a big deal
  12. pitcher — in baseball
  13. lean — thin
  14. wind — to turn a key
  15. game — a kind of play
  16. deal — an agreement
  17. deal — to handle
  18. present — the time now
  19. tear — from crying
  20. key — in music
  21. key — the most important part
  22. tear — from crying
  23. present — there
  24. present — a gift

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