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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'll take my ________________ from you.
  3. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  4. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  5. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  6. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  7. This piece is in a major ________________.
  8. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  9. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  10. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  11. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  12. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  13. Don't do anything ________________.
  14. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  15. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  16. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  17. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  18. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  19. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  20. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  21. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  22. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  23. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  24. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. key — the most important part
  2. cue — a hint
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. rash — on the skin
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. rest — what's left
  7. key — in music
  8. cue — for pool
  9. bank — for money
  10. spring — a coil
  11. bank — for money
  12. rest — what's left
  13. rash — hasty
  14. rest — a break
  15. key — for a lock
  16. rash — a series
  17. stick — to attach or keep to
  18. bank — of a river
  19. spring — the season
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. calf — of the leg
  22. cue — a signal
  23. spring — of water
  24. calf — a young animal

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