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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. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  2. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  3. We're almost out of ________________.
  4. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  5. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  6. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  7. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  8. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  9. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  10. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  11. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  12. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  13. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  14. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  15. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  16. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  17. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  18. This piece is in a major ________________.
  19. You don't need to ________________ round.
  20. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  21. We're on a ________________ here.
  22. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  23. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  24. The King held a masked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — in cards
  2. key — the most important part
  3. pop — soda
  4. cue — a hint
  5. hand — part of the body
  6. pop — music
  7. key — for a lock
  8. ball — a great time
  9. net — after costs
  10. hand — help
  11. ball — a round shape
  12. tear — to rip
  13. net — for catching
  14. net — in sport
  15. tear — from crying
  16. roll — a list
  17. cue — for pool
  18. key — in music
  19. pop — to visit
  20. cue — a signal
  21. roll — on a roll
  22. tear — from crying
  23. roll — a cake
  24. ball — a dance

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