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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. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  2. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  3. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  4. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  5. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  6. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  7. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  8. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  9. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  10. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  11. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  12. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  13. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  14. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  15. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  16. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  17. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  18. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  19. Don't do anything ________________.
  20. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  21. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  22. He works in a ________________ mill.
  23. This piece is in a major ________________.
  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. dip — to dunk
  3. dip — to sink
  4. object — to protest
  5. deal — a big deal
  6. rash — on the skin
  7. object — a thing
  8. chair — a professorship
  9. scale — in music
  10. scale — for weighing
  11. deal — an agreement
  12. dip — a sauce
  13. object — an aim
  14. scale — size or range
  15. deal — to handle
  16. chair — a leader
  17. chair — to sit on
  18. key — for a lock
  19. rash — hasty
  20. rash — a series
  21. saw — past of 'see'
  22. saw — the tool
  23. key — in music
  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