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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. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  2. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  3. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  4. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  5. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  6. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  7. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  8. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  9. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  10. This piece is in a major ________________.
  11. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  12. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  13. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  14. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  15. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  16. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  17. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  18. I'll be taking the ________________.
  19. False peace will not ________________.
  20. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  21. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  22. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  23. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  24. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.

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

Answer key

  1. key — the most important part
  2. toast — a drink to someone
  3. last — finally
  4. tube — in a tire
  5. key — for a lock
  6. squash — the vegetable
  7. wound — an injury
  8. wound — past of 'wind'
  9. wound — an injury
  10. key — in music
  11. toast — the most admired
  12. squash — the sport
  13. toast — bread
  14. dip — a sauce
  15. tube — a container
  16. dip — to dunk
  17. dip — to sink
  18. tube — the underground
  19. last — to go on
  20. last — final
  21. bear — to put up with
  22. bear — the animal
  23. bear — the animal
  24. squash — to crush

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