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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 116 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. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  3. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  4. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  5. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  6. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  7. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  8. I'll be taking the ________________.
  9. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  10. She's very handy with a ________________.
  11. This piece is in a major ________________.
  12. What do you think of the new ________________?
  13. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  14. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  15. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  16. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  17. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  18. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  19. That must've been a ________________.
  20. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  21. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  22. He works in a ________________ mill.
  23. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  24. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.

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

Answer key

  1. key — the most important part
  2. snap — to click
  3. rush — hurry
  4. kick — in football
  5. row — a line
  6. cabinet — a cupboard
  7. saw — past of 'see'
  8. tube — the underground
  9. snap — to speak sharply
  10. saw — the tool
  11. key — in music
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. snap — to snap out of it
  14. row — a quarrel
  15. tube — in a tire
  16. key — for a lock
  17. kick — a thrill
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. rush — a thrill
  20. rush — to hurry
  21. tube — a container
  22. saw — the tool
  23. row — to paddle
  24. kick — with a leg

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