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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 116 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. This piece is in a major ________________.
  2. He was locked up in a ________________.
  3. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  4. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  5. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  6. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  7. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  8. The water is too ________________.
  9. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  10. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  11. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  12. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  13. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  14. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  15. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  16. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  17. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  18. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  19. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  20. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  21. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  22. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  23. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  24. I'll take my ________________ from you.

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

Answer key

  1. key — in music
  2. cell — in a prison
  3. wound — an injury
  4. rock — music
  5. cell — a phone
  6. key — for a lock
  7. club — for dancing
  8. cold — not warm
  9. pound — to hit hard
  10. cue — for pool
  11. club — a group
  12. pound — for dogs
  13. cold — an illness
  14. pound — a weight
  15. rock — a stone
  16. cold — the Cold War
  17. rock — to move gently
  18. wound — an injury
  19. club — for golf
  20. cue — a signal
  21. wound — past of 'wind'
  22. cell — in biology
  23. key — the most important part
  24. cue — a hint

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