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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. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  3. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  4. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  5. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  6. This piece is in a major ________________.
  7. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  8. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  9. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  10. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  11. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  12. He works in a ________________ mill.
  13. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  14. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  15. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  16. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  17. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  18. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  19. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  20. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  21. When will it ________________ you to start?
  22. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  23. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  24. She's very handy with 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. chest — of your body
  3. track — a song
  4. bear — to put up with
  5. bear — the animal
  6. key — in music
  7. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  8. suit — in cards
  9. key — for a lock
  10. suit — clothes
  11. saw — past of 'see'
  12. saw — the tool
  13. march — the month
  14. chest — of your body
  15. march — music
  16. kid — to tease
  17. chest — a box
  18. bear — the animal
  19. track — a path
  20. march — the month
  21. suit — to fit
  22. kid — child
  23. track — to keep track
  24. saw — the tool

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