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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. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  3. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  4. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  5. The ball is in your ________________.
  6. This piece is in a major ________________.
  7. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  8. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  9. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  10. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  11. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  12. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  13. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  14. Have you met the new head ________________?
  15. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  16. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  17. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  18. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  19. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  20. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  21. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  22. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  23. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  24. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.

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

Answer key

  1. key — the most important part
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. coach — pulled by horses
  4. chip — for betting
  5. court — for sport
  6. key — in music
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. court — of a king
  9. chip — in a computer
  10. row — to paddle
  11. chip — to eat
  12. present — there
  13. lie — to recline
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. key — for a lock
  16. row — a quarrel
  17. row — a line
  18. present — a gift
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. present — the time now
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. perch — the fish
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. court — of law

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