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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 piece is in a major ________________.
  3. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  4. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  5. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  6. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  7. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  8. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  9. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  10. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  11. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  12. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  13. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  14. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  15. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  16. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  17. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  18. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  19. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  20. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  21. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  22. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  23. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  24. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.

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. fan — to cool the air
  4. key — the most important part
  5. kick — a thrill
  6. scale — for weighing
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. patient — calm and waiting
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. tear — to rip
  12. squash — the vegetable
  13. pass — a permit
  14. kick — with a leg
  15. scale — size or range
  16. kick — in football
  17. squash — the sport
  18. pass — to succeed
  19. squash — to crush
  20. tear — from crying
  21. pass — to spend time
  22. tear — from crying
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. scale — in music

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