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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.

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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. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  2. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  3. When was this ________________ built?
  4. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  5. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  6. The King held a masked ________________.
  7. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  8. The ball is in your ________________.
  9. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  10. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  11. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  12. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  13. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  14. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  15. This piece is in a major ________________.
  16. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  17. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  18. The light ________________ burned out.
  19. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  20. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  21. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  22. David sat on the ________________.
  23. I've got to change the light ________________.
  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 — for a lock
  2. bulb — of a plant
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. tear — from crying
  5. key — the most important part
  6. ball — a dance
  7. tear — to rip
  8. court — for sport
  9. scale — for weighing
  10. ball — a round shape
  11. tear — from crying
  12. scale — size or range
  13. court — of law
  14. scale — in music
  15. key — in music
  16. swing — in golf
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. bulb — for light
  19. swing — music
  20. court — of a king
  21. ball — a great time
  22. swing — to play on
  23. bulb — for light
  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