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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. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  2. We're on a ________________ here.
  3. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  4. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  5. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  6. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  7. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  8. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  9. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  10. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  11. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  12. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  13. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  14. The King held a masked ________________.
  15. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  16. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  17. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  18. This piece is in a major ________________.
  19. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  20. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  21. That was ________________ to happen.
  22. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  23. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  24. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. roll — on a roll
  3. wake — a trail
  4. roll — a cake
  5. ball — a great time
  6. ball — a round shape
  7. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  8. wake — before a funeral
  9. scale — in music
  10. can — to be able to
  11. roll — a list
  12. key — for a lock
  13. key — the most important part
  14. ball — a dance
  15. scale — for weighing
  16. can — a tin
  17. bound — obliged
  18. key — in music
  19. wake — to stop sleeping
  20. kid — child
  21. bound — certain
  22. scale — size or range
  23. bound — tied together
  24. kid — to tease

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