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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.

Make a worksheet

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. There's no middle ________________.
  3. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  4. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  5. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  6. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  7. Don't do anything ________________.
  8. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  9. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  10. When was this ________________ built?
  11. Have you met the new head ________________?
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  14. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  15. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  16. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  17. This piece is in a major ________________.
  18. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  19. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  20. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  21. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  22. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  23. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  24. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.

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

Answer key

  1. key — for a lock
  2. ground — a position
  3. rash — on the skin
  4. foot — part of the body
  5. band — a music group
  6. mine — an explosive
  7. rash — hasty
  8. rash — a series
  9. foot — a measure
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. band — a rubber band
  14. coach — pulled by horses
  15. mine — for digging
  16. band — a ring
  17. key — in music
  18. foot — the bottom
  19. ground — the earth
  20. key — the most important part
  21. ground — crushed
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. temple — side of the head
  24. coach — a trainer

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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