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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. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  3. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  4. This piece is in a major ________________.
  5. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  6. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  7. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  8. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  9. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  10. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  11. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  12. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  13. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  14. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  15. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  16. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  17. The tickets are free of ________________.
  18. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  19. When are we going to ________________?
  20. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  21. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  22. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  23. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  24. Should I buy a wireless ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. key — for a lock
  2. net — in sport
  3. lean — thin
  4. key — in music
  5. key — the most important part
  6. content — happy
  7. charge — in control
  8. fork — to eat with
  9. lean — to bend
  10. charge — electricity
  11. content — the amount
  12. land — ground
  13. fork — in a road
  14. net — after costs
  15. content — videos and posts
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. charge — a price
  18. land — a country
  19. land — to come down
  20. lean — to rest against
  21. net — for catching
  22. fork — a garden tool
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. mouse — for a computer

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