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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. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  3. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  4. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  5. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  6. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  7. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  8. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  9. That must've been a ________________.
  10. How do you ________________ your surname?
  11. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  12. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  13. This piece is in a major ________________.
  14. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  15. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  16. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  17. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  18. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  19. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  20. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  21. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  22. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  23. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  24. When will it ________________ you to start?

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

Answer key

  1. key — the most important part
  2. squash — the sport
  3. key — for a lock
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. rush — to hurry
  6. pitch — a sales talk
  7. pitch — a sports field
  8. spell — a short time
  9. rush — a thrill
  10. spell — letters
  11. kick — in football
  12. kick — a thrill
  13. key — in music
  14. suit — clothes
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. rush — hurry
  17. pitch — completely
  18. suit — in cards
  19. spell — magic
  20. kick — with a leg
  21. squash — the vegetable
  22. squash — to crush
  23. stick — to attach or keep to
  24. suit — to fit

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