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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. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  2. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  3. This piece is in a major ________________.
  4. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  5. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  6. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  7. I've got to change the light ________________.
  8. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  9. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  10. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  11. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  12. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  13. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  14. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  15. False peace will not ________________.
  16. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  17. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  18. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  19. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  20. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  21. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  22. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  23. The light ________________ burned out.
  24. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a dish
  2. key — the most important part
  3. key — in music
  4. fall — to drop
  5. bowl — a football final
  6. safe — out of danger
  7. bulb — for light
  8. wound — an injury
  9. fan — to cool the air
  10. last — finally
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. fall — the season
  13. safe — a strongbox
  14. bulb — of a plant
  15. last — to go on
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. key — for a lock
  19. last — final
  20. wound — past of 'wind'
  21. bowl — to roll
  22. wound — an injury
  23. bulb — for light
  24. fall — to drop

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