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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. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  2. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  3. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  4. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  5. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  6. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  7. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  8. The water is too ________________.
  9. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  10. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  11. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  12. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  13. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  14. This piece is in a major ________________.
  15. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  16. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  17. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  18. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  19. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  20. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  21. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  22. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  23. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  24. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.

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

Answer key

  1. key — the most important part
  2. spring — a coil
  3. ruler — for measuring
  4. fine — all right
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. fine — a penalty
  7. ruler — a monarch
  8. cold — not warm
  9. fan — to cool the air
  10. fall — to drop
  11. fine — high quality
  12. wave — a sudden rise
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. key — in music
  15. key — for a lock
  16. cold — the Cold War
  17. cold — an illness
  18. fall — the season
  19. wave — of the sea
  20. spring — of water
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. fall — to drop
  23. spring — the season
  24. wave — with your hand

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