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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.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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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. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  2. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  3. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  4. We're almost out of ________________.
  5. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  6. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  7. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  8. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  9. When was this ________________ built?
  10. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  11. You don't need to ________________ round.
  12. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  13. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  14. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  15. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  16. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  17. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  18. He was locked up in a ________________.
  19. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  20. This piece is in a major ________________.
  21. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  22. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  23. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  24. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — a break
  2. key — for a lock
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. pop — soda
  5. cell — in biology
  6. squash — to crush
  7. pop — music
  8. stick — to attach or keep to
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. key — the most important part
  11. pop — to visit
  12. temple — side of the head
  13. squash — the sport
  14. cell — a phone
  15. squash — the vegetable
  16. wake — before a funeral
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. cell — in a prison
  19. rest — what's left
  20. key — in music
  21. rest — what's left
  22. wake — a trail
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. wake — to stop sleeping

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