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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. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  3. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  4. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  5. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  6. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  7. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  8. The King held a masked ________________.
  9. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  10. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  11. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  12. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  13. When was this ________________ built?
  14. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  15. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  16. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  17. This piece is in a major ________________.
  18. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  19. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  20. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  21. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  22. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  23. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  24. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.

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

Answer key

  1. key — the most important part
  2. bass — low music
  3. kid — child
  4. ball — a great time
  5. deal — a big deal
  6. rest — what's left
  7. key — for a lock
  8. ball — a dance
  9. kid — to tease
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. bass — the fish
  12. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. rest — what's left
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. ball — a round shape
  17. key — in music
  18. bass — the instrument
  19. deal — an agreement
  20. patient — calm and waiting
  21. rest — a break
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. deal — to handle
  24. temple — side of the head

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